EPISODE THIRTEEN: PAINTING OUTSIDE THE LINES
If I were superstitious, I’d call this Episode Fourteen. But I’m not.
September has arrived, and things are ramping up. One of those things for me is preparing for the annual conference of our churches across Canada. Part of the preparations involves gathering a collection of books by some of the authors from our church communities. These will be displayed and, hopefully, sold at the conference.
After a shout-out to our authors this past week, I have received several responses, including one from Dr. Glenn Taylor. Glenn has a long history with our fellowship of churches. Over the years, he has served as a pastor, chaplain, and counsellor to pastors and others. Drawing on those experiences and his own walk with the Lord, he has written several books. I did a little snooping on Amazon to find out what new books he might have that I could promote. One was a little book called Navigating Thoughts: A Daily Compass for the Inner Life (Volume 1).
In his introduction, Glenn mentioned that the thoughts collected in the book represented a multitude of little pieces of paper on which he had written short sayings or thoughts that had come to his mind over the years. He was saving all these little pieces of paper to pass on to his grandchildren as part of the legacy he would eventually leave behind.
And that’s what’s in the book: a collection of words of wisdom. I haven’t read them all yet, but I can say that while all are valuable, some have stopped me in my tracks and forced me to think deeply.
On the bus one morning this week, I took the opportunity to read a few more. Here is one that resonates with me as we talk about women set free.
“God doesn’t paint by numbers. His work is of personal, original design.”
Unless you were or are the kind of person who paints or colours outside the lines “just because” (and I know a couple of those people), you understand the image. We’ve all had colouring books, and some of us have tried paint-by-number. We consider it part of a child’s development to learn to colour within the lines. But perhaps rebuking someone who doesn’t do that isn't such a good idea.
But let’s translate that into how we live as believers. One of the things we have noted in these episodes of Set Free is the challenge faced by people like Paul and Peter to bring together in harmony the disparate groups becoming part of the community of faith during the early years of the church. It wasn’t easy to blend Jews, Greeks, Romans, and whoever else because they all came with their expectations, cultures, beliefs, assumptions, and baggage! That challenge also included how women should be viewed, how they should view themselves as image-bearers, and how to overcome the bias of class and economics. Somehow, they, as well as we, think everyone should be like us, think as we do, act as we do, and believe as we do. And within the context of Scripture and God’s expectations for us as image-bearers of Jesus, that should be true. His “lines” are those we need to colour within.
But Glenn’s pithy little statement is also true. I can’t be you, and you can’t be me—nor should we! You and I are uniquely designed by God to be who and what we are, within that context of what it means to be His image-bearers.
Isn’t it wonderful that our Creator God didn’t make us all the same? There is room for all of us, not despite our differences but because those differences are part of what He designed us to be.
Peter’s call to these believers who have been scattered throughout the Roman world is to “keep on keeping on,” to be different, but not weird—though there would always be some who thought them weird! Take note of 1 Peter 4:4, as he warns them not to live as the Gentiles, even though “…they consider it strange of you not to plunge with them into the same flood of reckless indiscretion, and they heap abuse on you.”
Instead, they were to be “…clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray. Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without complaining.” (vss 7-9)
Think about the phrase I have underlined. Whose sins is he referring to? Not their own—those needed to be confessed and abandoned. But what about the sins and faults of others that often caused division and conflict among the members of the community of faith? While others were on their own unique journeys toward understanding, repentance and spiritual growth, love was to be the watchword. Love covers the “cracks.”
And then comes what seems to me to be instruction for us not to think or serve in paint-by-numbers terms, but in terms of original divine design.
“As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” (vss 10-11)
And if anyone asks, the “he” in these verses applies to both males and females in the original language.
Be who God made you to be—even if someone else thinks you are painting outside their lines.
