The Courage to Color

“As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” Colossians 3:12

When I was a little girl one of my favorite things to do was to color in coloring books. I could absolutely lose hours just sitting there choosing the colors that spoke to me about the picture in front of me. I would always outline the lines of the picture as if it was a guarantee that I couldn’t go out of the lines. The contrast between the heavy outer lines and the soft markings within the lines created my favorite finished picture. A while back our granddaughter, Kherington was spending the night with us and I had bought a book in which to color. We worked for over 3 hours each on one picture due to its intricate lines. At the end of the time, she gave her picture to me and I gave mine to her. We both fully understood the sweat, time, effort, and work that went into the experience. In its simplest form, this is compassion at its finest.

‘God wants us, His creation, to connect with others and bring them light and life with the brushstrokes of compassion’ Seeing Beautiful Again, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 174-175. He hands us a blank picture with each experience and has already drawn the heavy lines in which we are to color. As we walk through our experience some days we color within the lines with intentional and peaceful colors while other days we choose the colors of black and gray. It all forms a realistic picture, one that God encourages us to share with others who need compassion as they color their own picture. ‘Who do we want standing near us in those moments dripping with disappointments and saturated with sorrow? It’s those clothed with garments of understanding. They have personally experienced how excruciatingly painful it can sometimes be to simply be human,’ p. 174.

I don’t know about you but I want that person to be someone who will share their coloring book with me. I want someone by my side who has been heartbroken but was willing to embrace healing. I want to color next to someone with a picture that resonates with me, and who is willing to share their colors. Whatever you are going through in this season, don’t leave your book blank but crack open the crayon box and have the courage to color.