My parents sent two of their three children through twelve years of parochial school, myself being one of the two.  One fortunate or unfortunate aspect of going to a private school was the dress code.  All males had to dress conservatively in dark color pants, a white or blue dress shirt and a tie.  So for twelve years the only colors I knew on a regular basis was white and blue.  And I was comfortable with it.  In fact, so comfortable that after we married my wife looked at all my clothes in the closet and shook her head in amazement.  Before we married, she didn’t realize that I had a white or blue shirt for everyday of the week.  They were the only colors in my wardrobe.  Since then, she has introduced me to all the colors of the rainbow plus some.  Today you will find a few white and blue shirts, but the majority are every other color and style that has been manufactured  in my lifetime.  And we are thankful.

There are more colors in life than the basic white and blue.  Likewise, there are greater excitements and adventures in life than what many of us experience in our daily routine.  For most of us as we age, life has become dull and predictable.  We have forgotten how to dream.  If we still dream, we probably dream only in black and white.  We have lost the hunger and thirst of drawing masterpieces and have settled for plain black and white prints.  We would rather accept a dull existence than put forth the effort of adding color into our gray life.

“Don’t rock the boat.” “I’m miserable and enjoy it.” “I’m just an average Joe, what can I do.”  These attitudes have been shared with us over the years.  Yet we have also seen them changed when people recover from their blindness and begin to witness to the ever-changing colors of God’s living spectrum.  God is a God of color.  He has created a world with color and variety.  When we accept Him into our lives, we accept the way He thinks and the way He views life.  He views life with color, action, and adventure balanced with peace, love, and joy.

Many of us had big dreams in our youth. But life destroyed them. The everyday battles and struggles to cope with its demands simply entombed them. After you wallow in your sins and experience the hopelessness of life apart from God, you become like a beaten dog that just doesn’t care anymore.  But then one day, after crying out to God in his great mercy, He begins to redress you.  He starts by placing a white robe over you, signifying the forgiveness of your sins and how He views you thereafter.  After which, He opens your mind to the possibilities with Him as your Partner.  Nothing becomes impossible.  Anything is a reality when He is first in your life.  As you walk with Him, you discover all the colors of God.  You experience all the inner joys and peace that He makes possible.  You discover how to dream again, with colors that the world hasn’t even captured.  As you allow Him to lead you each day, each day becomes a day of adventure filled with action.  Not the Hollywood version, but the heavenly one.  You begin to see how He is touching the lives of others.  You begin to become a part of His plan.  You begin to become a star in a world darken with sin.  You are now a disciple of His.

A DISCIPLE’S PRAYER

Dear Dad, You are an abundant God with a vast spectrum of choices.  Thank you for breaking down any walls that have come between us.  Help us in our discontentment.  All these years we have lived in failure.  No one knows the real us.  No one seems to care.  Open the doors of heaven and help us experience your awesomeness and greatness.  Lead us down the journey and adventure of being a full time disciple of Jesus Christ.  Help us to follow you wherever you lead us. Build within us your masterpiece.  Let your creation glorify you in everything we do.  Let us not settle for mediocrity.  Instead, make a difference in this life and let this life make a real difference in the life of others.  Thank you Jesus as we pray in your name.  Amen.