Yipee! Today was the first day that I actually found a color, not a neutral (which all provide a beautiful backdrop) but a color! Purple. So many people’s favorite. I rather fancy it myself. Maybe because I’m getting “older”.
Purple according to gotquestions.org was the color that symbolized YHWY (God). Blue and purple were woven together along with gold into the garments and fixtures of the tabernacle that God instructed the tribes of Israel to make for Him as a place of worship while they were traveling on their way from enslavement in Egypt to the Promised Land. The veil woven to cover the “holy of holies” in the temple built in Jerusalem centuries later was also made with those colors that represent the deity and majesty of God the atonement for the sin of God’s people.
Another significant color (technically the absence of color, but it IS a crayon in most boxes so it must be a color) is white. White represents light, purity, holiness, sanctification, glory, and all things good basically. The angels wear white, or they appear as white. Jesus also appeared as white or shining light.
I have a son who is mildly color blind. We didn’t really discover this until his teen years and I don’t recall which color is missing from his visual pallet off the top of my head but I know he’s not alone. It seems that we all have varying abilities to see color. I suspect that God has limited our ability to see color in some way. Does that seem plausible to you?
1 Corinthians 2:9 says “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— This quote by Paul from Isaiah I think captures this idea of the wonder of heaven. The very idea that we can not even begin to imagine what God has made for those who love Him, who call Him Lord, and wait for His return.
Colors are just a piece of the glory of God spoken into creation. They are the beautiful part for me. Knowing that they are a reflection of the beauty of God they draw my attention right back to the God who made them all.
As the season progresses and we move ever closer to the celebration of the risen King, I will make note of the increasing number of colors around me and know that His creation too, is preparing for this celebration.
