Bible Reading: Genesis 1:27; 1 Peter 1:18-19
"I don't get it, Grandpa." Malik scratched his head as he looked at the painting. "What is it?"
"Well, the title is Three Musicians. Try squinting your eyes and tilting your head."
"I think I see a clarinet and a guitar, but the musicians look a little creepy."
"That's the beauty of art," said Grandpa. "Everyone sees something different."
Malik and his grandparents were spending the afternoon at an art museum. Malik had never seen so many paintings and sculptures. Hundreds of pieces of artwork hung on walls that stretched on for what seemed like miles.
"Which painting is your favorite, Malik?" Grandma asked.
"I'm not sure, Grammy. Some of these paintings look like they were painted by a three-year-old. Other paintings look way better than anything I could paint. If I had to pick my favorite, it might be Three Musicians. I like that you have to think about what you're looking at. How much do you think a painting like that costs?"
Grandma shrugged. Grandpa scratched his chin. "I'm sure that painting costs millions of dollars."
"Millions of dollars!" Malik couldn't believe it. "It doesn't look that valuable."
Grandpa smiled. "It's not valuable because of how it looks. It's valuable because of who made it. Three Musicians was painted by Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest artists of all time. Many people consider it to be one of his masterpieces."
Grandma put her arm around Malik. "Every time I come here I can't help but think that none of these masterpieces compare to God's masterpieces."
"God's masterpieces?" asked Malik. "Where are God's masterpieces?"
Grandma smiled. "Take a look in the mirror."
"Me?" Malik asked.
"You got it. The Bible says God made all of us in His image. We're God's masterpieces. Our value doesn't come from how we look, but from who made us."
"That's right," Grandpa chimed in. "The Bible also says God paid a high price for us. He sent His Son to die on the cross to save us from sin. Jesus paid for us with His life so we could belong to Him."
Malik took out his phone and snapped a picture of himself with his grandparents. Grandma looked at it and smiled. "Now that's a masterpiece!"
–Jared Hottenstein
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