It happened again! Answer the next few questions and see if you can relate.
- Have you ever laid out matching outfits for you and your family to wear, and not for family photos?
- Do you make decisions about what to eat based on what you’re wearing?
- Will your outfit and accessories coordinate with the presumed décor at the wedding or event you’re attending? Even worse, did that item you gift wrapped off the registry choose your outfit for you?
- Do you walk out of stores with things that coordinate with what you have on, not necessarily what you need?
I can answer, “yes” to all of these.
Not every person notices, but the ones who do ask if I planned such things. I used to say, “no it just happened”. Now I realize that subconsciously the answer is YES. The colors around me are controlling me!!! I’m not sure how long this has been going on, but I know I’ve become aware of it over the last few years. The surrounding colors must seep into my eyes, taking control of my brain for the next moment a decision is required. That’s exactly what happened before Leslie’s 10 year anniversary of her dragonfly ministry celebration. I was asked to donate items from my two businesses for door prizes. I set them out the night before, planning to wrap them the next day. I chose my dress and accessories before work, knowing I might be a little overdressed for the event. I went with a two color block dress with a bright fuschia on top and plum below. I added a green chunky necklace and teal shoes, grabbed my smaller purse (the one for going out without my kid) and headed toward the stairs for an early departure. I was stopped in my tracks when I saw the unwrapped gifts. Thankful I knew where all my wrapping supplies were, since I recently organized that room for a sewing project. I grabbed a small assortment of new and used gift bags that were the right size and some matching tissue paper. The problem was, I didn’t have two that would like nice next to each other on the door prize table. I held up my bag options for a quick decision and the colors from my dress took over. The one on the left had shades of pink to match my dress and a small band of aqua, just shades lighter than my teal shoes. The floral tissue paper coordinated perfectly and covered the gift to keep the door prize a secret until it was opened at the party. I wrapped the second gift in a matching piece of tissue paper, attached a business card, and quickly dug out a small roll of baker’s twine in the perfect shade of yellow-orange to make the colors of the flowers pop. As I set them on the seat next to me in the car I realized we matched. “How does this happen every time?” I smiled to myself. With Color’s quick thinking, I still managed to arrive a little early to get the gifts on the table and I was delighted to see how well mine coordinated with the others without any pre-planning. I chatted with a few ladies then stood in front of the desserts, pondering which delicious chocolate covered cake ball to put on my plate. A woman beside me asked, “oh. How do I choose which one? They all look so good.” Without thinking, my fuschia-plum dress answered for me, “choose the one that matches your outfit”, I said aloud! She giggled a little and graciously said she’d never heard that before. I smiled as I snatched one of the cake balls with raspberry drizzle and said, “try it” as I walked to my seat. When my friend and a few others noticed how the gifts also matched my outfit, they asked the question I’ve heard so many times. “Did you plan that?” The colors of my dress and shoes may have controlled my decision, but this time I said, “YES” and took all the credit!
Colossians 3:12-13
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly, loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Allow the colors of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience to control your words and actions as you color the world around you one person at a time.
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Where is your “go to spot” to put things you don’t want to forget?
Does anyone else have a container of tissue paper arranged by color?
What color represents each of the 5 characteristics we are asked to clothe ourselves with in Col. 3:12-13
Tag a friend who always notices color changes in your life. (home décor, new clothes, new hair, shoes, purse)