This thought was first published in October 2022
At the Christian conference centre I visited a while ago, in the ladies’ toilets there were ‘inspirational messages’ on the backs of the cubicle doors which certainly made me pause for thought. The first was this one:
“It is during the worst storm in your life that you get to see the true colors of the people who say they care about you.”
The more I thought about it, the less sure I was that I agreed.
When Jesus was experiencing the worst storm of his life, in the garden of Gethsemane, his closest friends fell asleep, and then when a mob came to arrest Jesus, they deserted him. Were they showing their ‘true colours’? What does it mean to talk about someone’s ‘true colours’ anyway?
Jesus’ disciples may have deserted him at the most difficult moment of his life, but Jesus knew that they had the potential to do great things for God. After Jesus’ resurrection, John tells us that he came to his disciples and said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Instead of accusing them or telling them off, he gave them a fresh start, with the Holy Spirit to guide and help them.
When God looks at each of us, God does not see the worst we can be, or the worst we have been, but the best we can be – the person God created us to be. For God these are our ‘true colours’.
Thanks be to God that time and time again we are offered forgiveness for our failures, the chance to start afresh, and the help of the Holy Spirit to grow into the ‘true colours’ that God sees!