By Carole Schryber, MBC Tysons Attendee and Women’s Conference Breakout Speaker
One day as I was driving I stopped at a red light, and turned around to check on my youngest son who was only four at the time. Eighteen years later, I still can picture that day. The sun was shining in the back seat reflecting on his beautiful face. I declared, “Jack, you have the most beautiful blue eyes.” Without missing a beat, he replied, “God colored me good.”
Over the years I have often reflected on the profoundness of that statement. Jack understood that he was the product of a Creator God, who drew him in a unique way. And the result was good.
Sadly, it had taken his mother 32 years to appreciate that reality. I did not disbelieve in God, but I certainly can say that I did not understand that He was a personal God who colored me in a unique way to share in His story.
I missed it because I failed to acknowledge that God acts purposefully. Not only is He purposeful, but He’s also personal. I like to think of myself as the logical sort, and if I were to accept that He acted purposefully in my own creation, as He did, it would stand to reason that I would feel some obligation to conform my behavior to that purpose. Ah, but I wanted to “do it my way”; control my own destiny. I made my own choices independent of whatever God’s will might be (I never asked), preferring to measure my worth by the world’s standards.
Yet, as the years went by, I came to realize that there was always someone prettier, smarter, more successful, and even a better person than me. Rather than feeling good about the woman I had become, I generally felt lousy, and not good enough.
Fortunately, God never gave up on me. Ultimately, I became a follower of Christ (that is a far longer story), and I began to study why God created man and woman. If the God of the universe thought it was important enough to add us into His story, shouldn’t I know His purpose? It finally became clear. I came to realize that He did not need us, but by His grace and mercy He wanted us to be part of His plan to redeem the world and reconcile us to Him. Each of us would be uniquely “colored” to reflect His attributes to the world.
I now know that I do not have to compare myself to anyone, or strive to meet the standards of what the world deems productive, successful or beautiful. If I follow Christ, as the perfect reflection of God, I will be guided to live according to His purposes, and that is all that matters. After all, God said after creating man and woman in His image, that it was “very good.”
Sometime ago I came across this verse in scripture:
The Lord appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV84)
It made me chuckle. I knew the word “drawn” was intended to mean that God called His people to Himself, and thankfully He did that with me. But I also realized that it is equally true that God has “drawn” us, as in colored or created, with lovingkindness. I imagine Jack pictured God with a crayon making the outline, carefully selecting the colors, and perfectly drawing a little boy. I love that image, and I can now imagine God did that with me as well. “God colored me good.” Who am I to declare anything else?
