THE COLOR OF LIFE

Did you ever work in a candy store or an ice cream parlor? Well, if you have, you know that the employer usually allows the clerks to sample as much as they want of the product. Usually, within a week or two, they lose their desire for any further sampling as long as they work there. Too much of anything, even good things, can be just "too much." Balance is where we are most comfortable in life.

There is a section in the Bible where Jesus touches on this most profoundly.

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of that generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not weep.' For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by all her children." - Luke 7:31-35

I believe God is speaking here of the fullness of life. Jesus is trying to explain to us how He sees us. He says there are those who are rejoicing and happy and wonder why others are not joining in while there are those who are mourning and are wondering why others are also not mourning. Then Jesus says, "But wisdom is justified of all her children." Jesus is talking about LIFE, life in its' fullness. Life is not all about being happy nor is it all about mourning. Life is about ALL of these, about balance in our lives. Wisdom is attained from experiencing both equally.

Here in America, we are bombarded by the media to always be happy. We are to have happy endings in every American movie, smiling people in every aspect of TV. Even the newscasters who bring us the news, good or bad, are always smiling and bubbly. We are told by show hosts that if we are not happy then we need to seek books, tapes or even psychiatrists to help us find that happiness. Although being happy and finding happiness in our lives may be a much desired goal, we need to understand happiness alone is not life complete. Jesus said "I come to give you LIFE and life abundantly". NOT happiness abundantly but LIFE abundantly. To experience life is to experience all of life. Everything in life is about balance. The rain and sunshine, the hot and the cold, birth and death, giving and receiving, these are all about life. Nothing is one-sided, nor should our live be so. Yet, we have a tendency to rush through the hard times as quickly as possible to be happy once again. Unto everything there is a season.

I can tell you that in my life, it has been through the hard times that I have learned more about life than when all was going smoothly. That is not to say that hardships are what I seek. Far from it, but in those times, we need to seek what God is trying to reveal to us rather then rush through them in record speed and perhaps miss some important lesson. Life IS an important lesson. Important enough that He sent His Son down here to die for us. If it is that important to God, it should be important to us as well.

Let me try and put it to you in another way, one to which I can relate...

We all have our favorite color. Yes, blue is beautiful. So is red or green or lavender. Yet by themselves, we do not get the full appreciation all the wonderful colors God has given us for our enjoyment. When we combine red with splashes of purple and almond, we can appreciate each color better. They begin to accent one another and they begin to reveal the complete picture of what color harmony truly is.

When a professional artist creates, he/she is always aware of composition and the elements of compositions are opposites. In intensity, there are lights and darks and in colors. There are what are called "complimentary colors" which are colors completely opposite to each other on a color wheel. Opposites and opposing elements, this is what makes up a great painting. A painting full of light without shadows or dark intensities would be very boring. In fact, it is the dark areas that make the lights seem brighter when viewed. So it is with life and life is far more important then mere colors.

There is a story, which I shall make short here, about a goldsmith. He was explaining the complexity and perfection of making gold. That it had to be done at a precise temperature and timing was critical. A person asked him how he knew when the gold reached it's perfection. He smiled and said, "When I can see my reflection in it."

So it is with God and our lives as well. We are perfected through life's fire, burning off the impurities within us as we reach that perfected state when God can see HIS image in us. At some point in time, we will once again face hardship. Allow God to work in your life completely and the perfection in you that God desires will shine forth as purest gold, if we allow it to. Perhaps, the wisdom we shall learn in these times may allow us to pass it on to others in their time of despair. We are ALL the body of Christ. God is a recycler of His wisdom through us all.

Sincerely,

Danny Hahlbohm