I wanted to learn techniques I could use to paint a Chinese New Year orange. This is just an average orange. Chinese New Year oranges are Mandarin oranges. There are other techniques I’ll have to learn to paint one of them. But this was great practice in the rough skin and the juicy sections.
That pitted skin is thick and really protects the inside. If you drop an orange, you probably won’t be able to see any damage done to the inside. If you drop an apple with its smooth skin, you will definitely see the damage to the fruit of the apple.
This made me think about what kind of a skin do I have. Am I thin-skinned and easily bruised by any little bump I receive? Or am I more like the orange that can take pretty serious bumps without being bruised inside?
I used to be thin-skinned. Although I didn’t show my bruises as much as some apples, I was hurt inside. I thought because no one else could see the bruises, I was OK. Eventually, I needed help. God sent me help in the form of my mom and dad and their prayers for me. When the bruise was exposed, God was able to do His healing work in me.
I think over the years I’m more like the orange now. I get bruised from time to time, but don’t usually have much internal damage from the hurt. I allow God to work in my heart much sooner and the center of my life is not much damaged by the bruise. I realize the analogy doesn’t work completely, but maybe it will give you some insight into how you deal with hurts.
If you are hurting from some ‘bruise’ you have received, why not tell God and allow Him to begin giving you the help you need to not allow that hurt to damage the center of your life?
Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”