By Les Ferguson, Jr.

Columnist

 

His name was Greg. It’s been years and years since we’ve had any contact. Enough time has passed, and I think I’ve confused his last name with another Greg. As the years have merged, some details have faded into obscurity.

Nevertheless, some of my Greg memories are still quite strong. I remember attending classes together for our Navy “A” school at Great Lakes Naval Station and being roommates at our Navy “C” school at the Dam Neck Guided Missile School in Virginia Beach, VA.

We spent hours and hours together outside the classroom, touring historical sights all over Virginia. I vividly remember the revolutionary battlefields of Yorktown as an eerie, thin place – hallowed ground, if you will.

Greg had a degree in commercial art, and because we were good friends and Great Lakes Naval Station was a short commuter train ride from Chicago, I had many opportunities to visit art museums with him.

Although my art-loving wife has tried to make me more cultured, I just don’t always get art. Case in point: On one of those trips to see a new artist’s display, I stood in line with my buddy as the line snaked along insufferably slowly. Finally, we got to where we could see this masterpiece with all its attendant oohs and aahs. 

I was incredulous. While all those around me were taken by the spectacle, I said loud enough for anyone close enough to hear, “Give me a paint roller and a gallon of paint, and I could do the same thing in a half-hour.”

You can call me Mr. Culture. 

My wife was mortified, and she wasn’t even in the picture. 

You’ve probably heard the adage, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” In the same way, one man’s masterpiece is another man’s head-scratching experience. 

But for now, let’s not think about my lack of art culture. Instead, let’s talk about you.

How’s your week going? Do you feel successful? Or has life beaten you down? Do you question your value and worth?

The Good Book says you (and me) were made in the image of God. Ethel Waters is credited with the saying, “I am somebody cause God don’t make no junk.”

Indeed. You are a divinely created masterpiece. Here’s a thought to carry you through the rest of the week: “I believe in you. I see your value. You are important. Your life matters.”

As King David wrote long ago, “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” (Psalms‬ 139‬:13‬-14‬ CSB‬‬)

Rest assured, you are loved.