A Splash Of Color

I followed her out of the store.
We each must have gotten the memo.
We were both wearing black active wear pants.
We were both wearing a colorful active wear shirt.

I happened to be wearing a bright teal colored shirt.
She was wearing a bright coral colored shirt.
I love that color, I said as we both walked out the door.
I love that color as well, she said with a smile, pointing to my shirt.

Color makes me so happy, she said.
I agree, I answered.
Can you imagine a world without color? I added.
Absolutely not! She said emphatically.

We parted ways.
She walked to her car and I walked to mine.
Our bright colors easily seen in the parking lot.
I cannot imagine a world without color, I thought to myself.

When we moved into our house, the walls were painted builder’s white.
We were not the original owners.
However, the first owners never changed the original color.
I knew that was something we would have to do.

I need color around me.
I need color on the walls of our home.
I need color in the clothes I wear each day.
I need whimsical touches of color in my decorating.

Color makes me happy, the woman said.
I completely agree.
If I lived in a monochromatic house, it would affect me after a while.
Color allows us to express ourselves in unique ways.

I remember having my 16 count Crayola crayon box in my pencil case when I was a girl.
Soon, I graduated to a 24 count box.
It was such a treat to receive a box of 64 crayons with coloring books as a gift.
The ultimate treat was my box of 120 crayons, which had every color I could imagine.

Days before I talked to the woman in the coral shirt, I had seen a short film.
Clay figures were used as the main characters.
It was a story of a father and his child going off to work and school each day.
The father was blue and the child was a yellow-orange color.

Each day their routine was the same.
The father loaded his child’s backpack with books.
The books were all the same size and color.
The backpack was green.

The father loaded his briefcase with papers that he would need at work.
They walked together.
Outside, the entire city, the buildings, and the cars were a dull gray.
No one had any color at all; everyone walked with their head down.

The child had a spring in his step.
He was free-spirited.
As he walked along in this gray world, he saw a splash of color.
A patch of green grass and a beautiful tree with red leaves captured him.

Underneath the tree, a man played a violin.
The music was beautiful.
The child began to dance.
All at once, the father realized his child had stopped and pulled him away.

At his school desk, the child excitedly drew a picture.
The picture was colorful, cheerful, and unique.
The teacher stood at the desk and dismissed the picture.
Pointing to another piece of paper, the teacher wanted the child to begin again.

The child drew another picture using only a green crayon.
The picture of the grass, the tree and the man with the violin was not acceptable.
Perhaps just a picture of the violin would be fine.
Again, it was not acceptable; the child had to begin again.

At work, the father lost his blue color throughout the day.
He looked longingly at the clock so that he could go and meet his child to walk home.
When the child showed him the picture he drew at school, the father was not pleased.
The child was losing his joy, enthusiasm, and uniqueness a little bit more each day.

Finally, the child conformed to the monochromatic life; the only one that was acceptable.
That day, his picture was sad and dark, just like everyone else.
When he met his father outside of school, there was no spring in his step, no joy in his heart.
The father had saved the first colorful picture of the grass, the tree, and the man with the violin.

The father motioned for them to walk to that special place.
When they got there, the man with the violin was gone.
There was no music.
The child was not able to dance.

Then the father did the unthinkable.
He got on the grass.
He began to play an imaginary violin with his hands.
The child smiled and lit up with joy, while all the gray people on the street were dismayed.

And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship” (Exodus 35:31)

God created everything, ex nihilo, out of nothing.
Since we are made in God’s image, we also create.
However, we create out of something, since we are not God.
The image of God overflows in our creativity, blessing others all to His Glory.

The short film was made to show how society kills creativity.
When society expects conformity, individual uniqueness is unacceptable.
The film shows the gray world the conformity causes.
The film boldly says, without using any words, that we are slowly losing our color.

I want vibrancy.
I want uniqueness.
I want to see beauty in various forms.
I want the image of God to be boldly proclaimed in each of us.

What can we do as parents and as individuals to make sure our color stays alive?
What can we do to foster creativity and uniqueness?
What can we do to insure that we do not squelch creativity for the sake of conformity?
What can we do?

My 16 count, 24 count, and 64 count box of crayons did the job just fine.
That 120 count box was extraordinary to me as a girl.
God, the Creator, gave us beauty in color and diversity.
How dare we be satisfied with the gray of conformity.

Add a splash of color to your days.
Stop and enjoy the music.
Dance even if someone is watching.
Sing at the top of your lungs.

Be colorful.
You are made in His image.
God created everything out of nothing.
We create with something; add a splash of color to the world.

2 responses to “A Splash Of Color”

1. Charming film! Oh, Gina, you are so right! God has made us each different, and I’m sure He’s happy when we use our talents, all in honor of Him. It upsets me so much when I hear some schools are cutting classes in art and music and also not teaching cursive writing. These are all creative pursuits and teach children to use their creativity–so important in every part of life. One thing I’m happy about home schooling is that there is more time for these creative activities. My granddaughter is doing a great job with her little ones in using the Christian Classical system, which teaches all these creative things.

   Reply

   • Sue,
     Uniqueness should be encouraged as we use our gifts for God.
     It is exciting to see the world through another person’s creative lens.
     God made us all so different, which is something we should treasure.
     Gina

     Reply