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One of these is not like the other… do you see it? The blue crayon, 2nd from the left.

A few months ago, I had turned my back for five seconds to find my then 13-month-old munching on this poor little crayon. Thankfully, my baby was fine and no damage was done— can’t say the same for the crayon!

I wonder how this little crayon, let’s call him “Blue”, must feel. Apart from the trauma of being chewed on by a half-naked, slobbery giant, he now looks and feels quite out of place from his crayon peers.

All the other crayons have nice, sharpened points and straight, flat surfaces. I’ll bet it’s easy for them to stay in the lines. Blue feels clumsy and gritty. He’s ashamed of his mangled shape, dripping with saliva. He might feel like an outcast. He might wonder if he’ll ever be able to color again— to be a part of something beautiful again.

Have you ever felt like Blue?

Chewed up? Spat on? Icky? Dripping with shame? Feeling alone and out of place?

I think we all have moments in our life when we feel like this.

These feelings can be triggered by a traumatic event, a harsh word from a friend, a broken relationship (or several), a failed pursuit of a dream, a sin that we bury deep down yet still feel its thorns… the list goes on.

HOWEVER. And this is a BIG however.

Unlike a tiny crayon made of wax, WE are children of an Almighty GOD, and He made us in His image.

He will take our brokenness, our dirty and mangled selves, and use us for His glory.

No matter how lost or unworthy we may feel inside, He makes us beautiful because we ARE beautiful to Him, teeth marks and all.

Know that you are NOT alone. Not only are we being held by our Creator, there are other colors around us— people who may feel just like you. There are even people who may look vibrant and happy on the outside but are broken and hurting on the inside.

Reach out to someone. Join a supportive community who can lift you up and help you feel accepted. After all, have you ever seen a beautiful painting of just ONE color? Majestic works of art are made up of all sorts of different hues. Some are pale, some vibrant, some have rough strokes, others smooth.

The beauty in art is shown by how the colorful strokes all blend together. And the beauty in human relationships is shown by how we support one another and share in each other’s struggles and triumphs.

God has given each of us a colorful PURPOSE. He wants us to be a part of His beautiful tapestry, and the more broken we are the more vibrant His color will shine in us. 

So don’t lose hope. You WILL color again. God’s canvas is waiting for you.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

– Amy

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