Before I tell you how coloring a single page had changed my life, you should probably know a few things about me.
I am a woman, a mother, an author, a wife, and a Christian. And like many of you, I struggle with peer pressure and the fear of “getting it wrong.” Like many, I gain weight without reason, unless we’re counting Peanut M&Ms as a reason for gaining weight, which I’m not. 😉
On this particular day, I was sorting through the mountain-high pile of revisions that I need to work through on my latest manuscript when I was forced to take a break and run two of my boys to the gym for a basketball camp. I pulled on some pants that were a bit too snug and spied a picture of myself on Facebook that reminded me of how much weight I’ve gained in the last year. Needless to say, I left the house feeling a bit low about it all.
And it was in the midst of all of this that I pulled out my coloring pencils and found healing.
A dear friend of mine bought me a travel sized coloring book with scripture in it. I was in need of a new page to color but nothing was capturing my attention. So I closed the book and opened to a random page. I don’t like playing goofy games like this with my Bible but this is a coloring book so goofy games are allowed here. 😉
I opened up to the page with the verse, “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Immediately this connected with my weary heart. I was reminded of the disheartening conversation I had with myself about my weight and knew I had to let it go. So with joy, I snatched up a couple pink pencils because this picture NEEDED pink! But something odd happened.
I panicked. What if these colors didn’t look right on the finished page? Maybe I shouldn’t use so much pink? What other colors would work well with these shades of pink? How am I going to pull all of this together and still end up with a beautiful work of art?
I think I need a second opinion.
I looked down at the verse under my hand again. “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
And suddenly there was freedom. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Pink, and lots of it, is part of who I am. I love coloring pages with one dominant color. It’s a style that’s simplistic and beautiful in my eyes. So if I like it, is it wrong?
No.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
My natural instinct to color the page 50% pink isn’t wrong. It’s wonderful.
My desire to write an epilogue even though the world is growing increasingly hostile toward them isn’t wrong. It’s wonderful.
This page became a lesson on learning to accept and trust myself and my desires. I’m free to do what feels right and trust my instincts here. I don’t have to fear that I’ll get it wrong. It’s mine. I can only get it right.
Art is funny that way. In areas of creativity, you’re free to go with your gut.
Disclaimer: Accepting who you and are and how you were created is NOT a license for sin. Sin is never to be accepted or tolerated within yourself. This is strictly a lesson on following your creative side, and NOT about following your heart into sin.
Christian Author: A.M. Heath 
Very well said! Love that you are open and honest. It spoke to my heart as well. I am a failure in the world’s eyes but in God’s eyes – I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
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That’s it, exactly! And guess what!! I get to teach this VERY verse to your daughter and the rest of the kids at VBS tomorrow!!!! How awesome is that!!???
I’m so glad it ministered to your heart! 🙂
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I love this post, Anita. A friend introduced me to Bible Art Journaling, and it opened my eyes to how we can discover meanings of Scripture. I only tried once, but it was fun and enlightening. God speaks through the art as well as the verses. As an artist, I’m already busy with art much of the time, so art journaling hasn’t been my priority. 🙂 However, I might give it a try again. You make it sound so intriguing. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Joanie! And I’m sp glad you mentioned Bible Art Journaling. I have mixed feelings about it. Maybe I just need to give it a try. I appreciate how you were able to dig deeper through art journaling. I’m afraid it will be a distraction for me. As for this coloring book, it was more of adding scripture to my fun time so my mind wandering wasn’t an issue. However, I have noticed how often my mind focuses on the verse on the page when I have a Biblical coloring book out compared to when I’m coloring a secular book.
I’ll actually be posting a review on the book I used later this week so we’ll see it again.
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“Accepting who you and are and how you were created is NOT a license for sin. Sin is never to be accepted or tolerated within yourself. This is strictly a lesson on following your creative side, and NOT about following your heart into sin.”
Love it! Great post. I love coloring and have several adult coloring books now.
And… I love pink!
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Thank you!! And I’m always excited to meet another pink lover! 😉
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This is a great post! We are all different. Wouldn’t it be a dull world if we were all alike ? I don’t have a way with words and can’t write like you do but I’m sure glad you can write because God allowed me to be able to see to read your novels. But I can make a mean pecan pie. Ha! At least that’s what everyone says when they want it for our dinners.
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That’s a wonderful point, Brenda. And thank you for the compliment. It’s so hard not to compare ourselves to everyone around us.
Pecan pie! How amazing!! I’ve never did mastered pie crust.
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I love this! This speaks to me so much in areas that go beyond just writing. 🙂 We don’t need to apologize for our makeup, for who we are, who He meant us to be.
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Exactly! And I’m glad it touched your heart.
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