I have a Bob Ross bobblehead on my bookcase in my office. If you push the button, he says some of his famous lines: “You have to have dark in order to show light–it’s just like in life.” He came with a set of spiral bound paintings so you can change the scene.

Growing up, after a long hard day at school, I wonder if Bob’s poofy hair and gentle voice were hypnotizing me into tranquility. Was he a wizard enchanting serenity with blades and brushes?

Bob loved putting large trees in the foreground. I remember, as a kid, being alarmed when he put a huge, dark, vertical line down the landscape. Part of me was saying, “Stop! You’re ruining it!” His calm voice just carried along: “You know me, I like to put a big ole’ tree right about…there.”

By the end it worked. And, as a viewer, I came to trust him. He wasn’t ruining his painting with that terrible black line. He was masterfully making something beautiful.

Whatever scary black lines you’re experiencing right now–the Christian Hope teaches us that the Master is at work. Can we trust Him?