When I built my current home I had my entire villa painted white. I wanted to live in it a while so I could soak up the atmosphere and decide on the personality of each room. When I finally got to the job of choosing colors for some of my rooms, I looked at my paint fan and was overwhelmed with the choices offered. It seemed like every color in the spectrum was presented and they all reflected unique perspectives. Each color had subtle differences, making my choices difficult.

When I was looking at the different options available, I thought about how much this paint fan was like people. People come in all different personalities, made up of different shades that are formed by their innate gifts, culture, experiences and beliefs. When they intersect with our lives, we find some of them we love and instantly connect with, and others take time to grow on us. 

In the church we have light, bright colors that draw people in; calm, steady colors that help anchor so many; and dark, rich colors like soil, that often get overlooked but add nourishment and health to our churches. Individuals who make up our churches, can be woven into a tapestry that is a wonder to behold. But in order to do that, we need to see the value and potential of all the colors. The church is made of different nations, different tribes, and different languages. And yet, it is the same. We are all sinners, saved through God’s grace because of the blood Jesus Christ shed for us.

God has given us an incredible palette of colors in his world, and some of the colors he puts together in beautiful harmony we would never have put together. A master artist, he makes a rich tapestry for us to behold. But the catch is, we have to put ourselves in the Master’s hands and trust him to use the colors of our lives to make his masterpiece.

One day, when Christ calls us home, we shall all wear the same color of white as we worship before the throne. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9, ESV