When the weather became cooler we decided that it was safe to paint our new kitchen door which receives full sun in the afternoon. The exterior is surrounded by multicolored brick and so I matched the paint to one of the brick colors. Halfway through the painter’s job, Jack came to me and said, “Come and see the paint job. It’s pink! The door is pink!”

Indeed, the door was looking quite pink, but Roy, the painter said, “It’s a vary nice color, not exactly pink, and it matches the brick.” We all finally agreed that the door is quite handsome and not really pink, when our son-in-law stopped by and saw the door and said, “You’ve painted your door pink!” That’s all that Jack needed to hear.

This is not the first time I’ve made some noticeable mistakes using paint chips. “For now we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

St. Paul was not writing about paint colors, but about a reality that is still largely screened from our vision, the reality of a living Christ in our midst and His spirit in our own spirits. This is the famous passage where Paul concludes with, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

In spite of God’s being invisible, the people who knew Him best have left us an abundance of evidence of His presence with us and in the world. Even in charting faith, hope, and love, Paul sets up a pathway to the very heart of the son of God.

The Old Testament prophets endured rejection and misunderstanding to trace for us the character of God. Jesus himself spoke parable after parable to show the way and to lead the way to resurrection, a gift God gave to us.

“This is what the Lord says, “Stand at the crossroads and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is. Walk in it and find rest for yourselves.” (Jeremiah 6:16)

When it comes to misjudging paint chips, it’s good to know that “when perfection comes, the imperfect will pass away.” It’s even better to know that it’s still possible to “walk where the good way is,” and know that Someone has walked it before us and made a path of faith, hope, and love that lasts forever.

Love in Him,

Prue