When we were redecorating our bathroom a few years ago, I did what some may claim to be the unthinkable. I put my husband in charge of picking out the shower curtain. The only rule, it had to be black and white. It was my attempt at creating a bathroom that was mostly neutral and would work well with any other color. It seemed simple, easy, and straight forward.
How often do we long for this in every aspect of our lives. If only each decision was a simple yes or no. If only it was a clear black and white answer that everyone could agree or disagree on. If only Scripture was interpreted in that same simple black and white manner, there would be no disagreements but just unity as the Lord desires for believers. If only we always knew the words to say, the steps to take, the actions to perform to do the right thing. Why is life not simply black and white?
There’s beauty in the gray! There’s uniqueness. There’s creativity. There’s trust. There’s free will. There’s faith!
It is the grayness we regularly find ourselves in where our faith in God really takes root. Gray has been a favorite color of mine for several years, and it currently serves as the accent color in my otherwise black and white bathroom. There is calm in the gray. There is a certain surrender that must take place when we do not have those black and white answers we so long for each day. So as you begin another week I encourage you, find beauty in your gray. Take a deep breath and experience the calming peace that comes over you when you surrender to God what you do not have a clear cut black and white answer for as you deal with decisions, challenges, and relationships in your life.