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Masterpiece of Grace

During the spring break of my senior year of college, I had the privilege of visiting a Christian Taiwanese children’s home. This orphanage was home to a young artist named Grace. She painted the most beautiful scenes, artfully detailing the contours of the landscape before her with each brush stroke. It was awe-inspiring to watch, not only because she masterfully turned an empty canvas into a work of art, but because she did it all without arms. The founders of this children’s home had discovered newborn baby Grace abandoned in a Taiwanese vegetable market. She was born without arms during a deep economic recession, and her disability was apparently too much of a burden for her family to bear. Thankfully, not everyone shared this perspective of Grace. It wasn’t long before another set of eyes gazed upon her, looked past her disability, and saw a little girl created for a purpose.

Grace was created to be an artist. God placed that calling deep within her, and although she had no hands to hold a paint brush, she found a way to paint. She used her feet, her toes, her mouth, even her posture to create. She was not limited by her disability, but instead, pressed past it by using the tremendous abilities she was given to glorify her Creator.

I am inspired by Grace’s steadfast determination to live out her calling. She did not allow her disability to define or deter her, nor did she fall victim to self pity or bitterness. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” There are as many distractions, sins, and hindrances as there are callings and races to run. Hebrews goes on to tell us how to overcome those things that seek to entangle us. The very next verse reads, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” With our eyes fixed upon Christ, all other distractions become peripheral. Grace could not have become an accomplished artist if she gave her disability center-stage. With perseverance, she focused on her art and pressed on to fulfill her calling in Christ.

Grace’s story is also a beautiful example of the power of perspective. Where one set of eyes saw fear and limitations, another beheld purpose and possibility. Those who should have loved her abandoned her, seeing only a baby created with no arms. Others who could have passed her by took her into their home, accepting her as a precious baby daughter who was created with a purpose. Clearly, the same situation can be looked upon in entirely different ways. Allowing God and the truth of His Word to influence our perspective makes a world of difference. In Grace’s case, it was the difference between life and death.

Scripture says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) This concept can be applied not just to physical traits, but to circumstances as well. So often, unexpected twists and turns in our journeys can steep us in despair and discouragement. How tempting it is even to pass judgment on God during challenging times that just don’t seem to make sense. Grace’s story invites us to embrace those challenges and look deeper to find God’s purpose in them. If after searching we still can’t see it, we simply need to trust Him that there is one.

Grace’s artful masterpieces have become well-known in Taiwan. Her story and even her name remind us of God’s beautiful, redeeming grace that looks beyond our frailties and invites us to become part of His family. We may not have been abandoned at infancy, but we were just as lost before God found us and adopted us as His precious sons and daughters. By fixing our eyes upon Christ and trusting in the Father’s character regardless of the circumstance, we allow the great Artist to create in us a masterpiece of His grace.