Blue Paint

I walked into church and shook hands with a friend. He greeted me in the strangest way, “So, how did it turn out?”

“How did what turn out,” I asked?

“Whatever you painted blue,” he said. And with that he turned my hand over and showed me the streak of blue paint that ran along the outside of my wrist.

I had been painting that afternoon, and then took a shower, got dressed and headed to church for the Saturday night service. I thought I had cleaned up carefully, but apparently not!

Far too often in my faith life I start my day with devotions and prayer, and then the busyness of the day washes away everything I read and prayed. I am, to use a metaphor from James 1, like a man who looks in a mirror and then walks away and forgets what he looks like.

I want my devotions to be more like blue paint – nearly impossible to wash away no matter how busy the day. I want my encounter with Christ to leave an indelible mark that others can see in my actions and hear in my words.

While I can certainly try harder to carry my devotions into my day, I rest in the faith that whether I succeed or not, God carries me throughout the day with love and grace. Even when the blue paint is washed from my hand God says, “I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:16)

Jeff Marian serves as lead pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN