Crayons: Make Your Life a Masterpiece

What is it like to observe a saint up close? Well, In December of 1986, I became one of 110 Swiss Guards who would protect St. John Paul II. Those two years at the Vatican impact me powerfully still today. Why? Because that is when I found my faith. Like others involved in security and safety, we were taught to observe well. And I used these skills of observation to learn from this holy Pope. He lived a life that was irresistible. He interacted with everyone with a humble confidence and great knowledge of himself. As such a young man, I remember thinking, whatever this guy has, that's what I want. And in public homilies and private conversations, he explained that what he had was Jesus. And he encouraged me to pray. I took his advice, and I was amazed that through prayer, I actually experienced God. So I became more intentional about prayer and felt God's presence more deeply in my life. As my time in the guards was ending, perhaps because of my military mindset at the time, I turned to God in prayer, and I simply. I always asked, what do you want me to do? Just tell me what you want me to do next. And I continued to ask this question as I faced decisions throughout my 20s. Lord, what would you have me do? And, you know, I received my most profound answer to this question only much later, after I had a son. You see, my son Eli, loves to draw and paint. And so whenever I travel, Eli would run up to me and say, bobby, Bobby, what did you bring me? And I would open up my bag and give him this big box of crayons. And then he always asks me the same thing. Papi, what do you want me to draw? Eli? I'd say, whatever comes to your mind. Be creative. Do you want me to use the blue or the red crayon? He'd ask Eli, I want you to use all the colors. That's why I'm giving it to you. You see, what makes these paintings so special to me isn't his artistic expression. It's that Eli paints it for me. I love his paintings. I hang them up all over my office. They give me joy. Something similar is true of God, who Jesus encouraged us to pray to as our Father. And like a loving Father, God, our heavenly Father, delights when we put his gifts, our talents, to good use and that we do so and live our lives for him. At birth and through your life, God gives you many specific gifts, opportunities, circumstances, and even challenges. You could say he gives each one of us a box of crayons. I, for example, I was born into a specific family to specific parents and had particular physical and mental attributes. I'm tall, strong, and I have gifts for listening and communicating. But on the other hand, I kind of struggle with numbers. Details follow through. I can play basketball, but I'm horrible at mini golf. I was born in an exact geographic location in a small village in Switzerland near the end of the 20th century. The implementation of Vatican II, the end of the Cold War, the technology revolution were all important moments that fell in the time span of my life. All these were like colors in my box of crayons. What are your crayons? Throughout my lifetime I kept begging God for direct what do you want me to do? Which gifts of these colors do you want me to use? All the Lord asked of me was to order my life and then choose freely myself, using everything he has given me. John Paul's favorite advice to his spiritual directees, after helping them clarify certain choices before them, was to always say, you get to decide. And just as with my son Eli and the box of crayons I gave him, the interesting question for you is not primarily what you will do, but whom you will do it for. Today there are so many needs for leadership and action in our church, in our communities across America. My hope is that this message might inspire you to pick one or two needs and then get involved in making something or someone better. It is my hope and prayer for all of us that at our last breath when we come before God, that with Jesus Christ we each can say into your hands, lord, I give this painting that is my life. I made this for you. And that God will then embrace us and say, well done, my good and faithful servant. Welcome into your Father's joy. I'm Andreas Widmer, professor of Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America for Edify. Thank you for watching this video. To help keep Edify videos free, please consider making a tax deductible donation.