Tip of My Iceberg

I longed for the big box of 64 crayons when I was a kid. I was fascinated with color, not just the shades of blues and reds and yellows but the wonderful names they each had. Sunset orange, dolphin gray, purple mountains’ majesty, cornflower blue, jazzberry jam. They all sounded so magical. Not just colors but ideas and dreams that morph into colors.

My passion was drawing horses. I practiced every chance I could. But I wanted a bigger box of crayons because I needed the bigger assortment of browns, grays, and golds. I wanted a sepia brown for a horse that was so much more than just brown.

The problem with big boxes of crayons is that when they break–and they will–there are so many pieces. I was a bold colorer–press down hard and make beautifully bright pictures. None of the light shading for me. I inevitably pulled the paper off the crayons as they shrunk in size from use. The papers were an annoyance–especially when Mom found them in the family room.

My discovery of kaleidoscopes as I got older was phenomenal. Colors morphing into shapes and shades that piqued my imagination. 

Color is music for the eyes. It’s pleasing and delightful.

We’re so fortunate we live in a color-filled world. The alternative is a monochromatic scheme of blacks and grays like television in the dark ages. Nobody would willingly buy a black and white television today. What’s being sold are those huge screens with so much color and detail it gives the impression of being present in the picture.

God’s creation is full of shades and hues that come together in harmony. When I walk into a forest, I see innumerable shades of green blending with and highlighting each other. The variations of color in the sky as the day progresses are a palette of colors that define the movement of the sun. The ocean is alive with the blues and greens of its depths that reflect the sun and the teeming life beneath.

Yet many would choose a monochromatic life, limited to one color, missing the opportunity to enjoy how color complements color. 

God’s color palette is so much richer and complex than we realize. We see different; He sees beautiful. We see uncomfortable; He sees the delight of blends. We see unwillingness; He sees possibilities. People are the height of His creation, and we are part of a tapestry of color that reflects the wild and wonderful imagination of the One who made us. 

Different is not tolerance. Tolerance says there are no absolutes, an attitude that causes more destruction than healing. Different is recognizing the uniqueness of one another and respecting it. Valuing each other because we’ve been made purposefully.

If we could reduce the world to a very large box of crayons, with everyone in it being a different color, can you imagine the beautiful pictures we could draw? The stunning shades, how different colors blend together–the possibilities would be endless.

Every color would make its unique mark. Because that’s what we were made to do–be our own unique selves in a world of wonderfully special people.

Together.

God made us a community of color.

It’s time we opened our eyes to that beauty.