Author: Darlene J. Conard

A part of me wanted to throw the canvas away, and yet another part of me couldn’t bring myself to do it. It sat there on the table—prepped, primed, and painfully imperfect—staring back at me like a reminder of failure. The surface looked so uneven, so chaotic, that the thought of painting a masterpiece on it felt impossible. I kept thinking, I paid a high price for this canvas… and now look at it. I ruined it.

As I stood there wrestling with my frustration, the Lord gently dropped something into my spirit—quiet, firm, unmistakable: “I don’t waste anything.”

That truth pierced me. Because the truth is, I’ve looked at myself the same way I looked at that canvas—like something damaged beyond repair. I’ve seen myself as a wreck, a mistake, something too messy for God to use. My circumstances have felt tangled and chaotic. My heart has carried friendships that need healing. I love my friends deeply; they are gifts from God. Yet the enemy is always eager to plant seeds of misunderstanding, division, and discord.

But several weeks ago, the Lord spoke a word that shook me awake: “Am I not a God of restoration? Behold, I am doing a new thing. What the enemy intended for harm will become a seat for angels, for My glory will be evident.”

When that word hit my spirit, I couldn’t stay still. I shouted through my apartment with a joy that only comes when Heaven speaks. When God gives a word, it carries its own confirmation—no questions, no doubts, just truth that settles deep.

God promises that if we allow Him to work—if we praise Him, trust Him, and thank Him before the breakthrough—the outcome will shine with His glory. This season has stretched my faith, lifted it, strengthened it, and brought it to a higher place.

So last night, I set that flawed canvas back on the easel. I picked up my brush, took a breath, and began again. And something unexpected happened. Beauty began to rise from the very places that once looked ruined. Inspiration flowed through the cracks. What I thought was a mistake became the foundation of something breathtaking.

Because that’s who God is.

“He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth… I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” — Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

Your story is not ending in despair. Your canvas is not ruined. Your relationships are not beyond repair. Trust Him. Pray. Praise. Thank Him in the waiting.

The masterpiece is already forming beneath His hand.

Feel free to forward it to anyone you wish.  My mission is to encourage everyone to follow our Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. ©Darlene J. Conard Vision Ministries 2026.   This may not be republished or used without the author’s written consent. The photograph is AI-generated. Darlene J. Conard is also affiliated with Glory Carrier Ministries. If you have a prayer request, please email it to darlene.conard@hotmail.com, and my intercessors and I will pray.

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