What Shade of Pure?

July 20, 2022

Ever try to buy paint to paint your walls white? I used to think white was white, but I was so wrong.

Paint stores and hardware stores keep paint “chips”, July 20, 2022

Ever try to buy paint to paint your walls white? I used to think white was white, but I was so wrong.

Paint stores and hardware stores keep paint “chips”, small cards with each color they sell painted on the cards. You can see a two-inch square of every color available. You can even take several different cards home and hold them up to your present wall, to get an idea of what that color would look like in your house.

There are many variations of white, none of which go by that exact name. One may be antique white, another gypsum, another called pearl, snow, or alabaster. Beyond that, different brands of paint don’t match any other brand’s white.

We often think of white as pure. I guess if we held up one color white next to another, we’d decide one was more pure than the other. Maybe a friend would disagree.

Our lives, held up in comparison to God’s holiness, do not look pure at all, even on our best days.

Comparing ourselves to our friends, we might look pretty good.

Maybe that’s a good reason to attend church. If I stay at home I can convince myself I don’t really need any improvement. Looking at some of the saints in the church I see a thing or two that I could improve on. Hearing the sermon as a way of comparing myself to God’s standards, well…I need a lot of work!

Why settle for my own standards? That would be like trying to make an old car last for the rest of my life.

There are many shades of white. I want the most white I can get.small cards with each color they sell painted on the cards. You can see a two-inch square of every color available. You can even take several different cards home and hold them up to your present wall, to get an idea of what that color would look like in your house.

There are many variations of white, none of which go by that exact name. One may be antique white, another gypsum, another called pearl, snow, or alabaster. Beyond that, different brands of paint don’t match any other brand’s white.

We often think of white as pure. I guess if we held up one color white next to another, we’d decide one was more pure than the other. Maybe a friend would disagree.

Our lives, held up in comparison to God’s holiness, do not look pure at all, even on our best days.

Comparing ourselves to our friends, we might look pretty good.

Maybe that’s a good reason to attend church. If I stay at home I can convince myself I don’t really need any improvement. Looking at some of the saints in the church I see a thing or two that I could improve on. Hearing the sermon as a way of comparing myself to God’s standards, well…I need a lot of work!

Why settle for my own standards? That would be like trying to make an old car last for the rest of my life.

There are many shades of white. I want the most white I can get.