You were made to stand out in a way that makes you slightly uncomfortable.

You are at your best, you-est you when people notice how Jesus shines in you. And He is going to constantly press you out of your comfort zone, expanding those tent pegs, unwilling to let you shrink back into safe mediocrity and blend with the crowd.

You can still shrink back, of course. He won’t force greatness onto you, just as He won’t force you to forgive or let go of anything else holding you back. But you will know that you lost something when you clung to the ground, unwilling to surrender and rise. He would not have you live with that regret or smallness.

So He washes over you repeatedly, incessantly, bringing out your color, not allowing you to fade or hide. He is gently and gradually shaping you, softening you, removing the things that are temporary so the world can see what lasts.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

— 1 Corinthians 15:41-42, 50-53

The Lord knows the colors you hide from most people: the ones you only show every once in a while, the ones that don’t fit in with everyone else’s, the ones that you’re embarrassed by, and the ones you diminish because they might make someone else feel bad about themselves or draw too much attention.

All those colors. You don’t have to hide them from God.

He wants to see them. He wants to help you put them together and understand the best timing and arrangements. He wants you to be glorious, because He made You to reflect Him.

Faith is spelled R-I-S-K. You were never meant to walk in greys, inhibited and hidden. You were made to shine light through all the colors He designed you with. And the good news is that every time you obey in doing the brave thing God is calling you to, your comfort zone grows and those scary things become easier.

Confess where you’ve traded risk and glory for greys. He is eager to teach you how to shine outside the comfort zone so more people will see Him.

(No, really. Ask Him right now: Jesus, where have I traded Your glory for greys? His answer might surprise you later today or this week, coming when you least expect it.)

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.

— 1 Peter 1:22-23

You may feel impossibly tangled and uncoordinated, but the Lord sees beauty when He looks at you. He sees a creation that He both made and is still making.

He sees a million things you don’t see and none of the flaws you do because He sees Jesus in you.

That isn’t to say He’s ignorant of the things you see that aren’t true, or that He’s blind to your mistakes. He knows. But the lies you believe about yourself do not change His desires or design for you.

He loves how you are learning to wear the colors He’s made for you. Surrender to Him as He makes arrangements and puts the things in your heart in order. He’s doing a great work in you.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

— 1 Peter 5:6-7

Blooming perfectly, with all the predictable colors and markings and every petal in place, is not your job.

Your job is just to bloom. Just obey. Just do the works He made you to do.

Your colors and markings and shapes might not be the ones that others expected of you, and they might not be the ones that you thought you wanted. But that doesn’t make them wrong. It doesn’t mean you didn’t bloom correctly.

It means you did it, and you have color to show for it.

Do the work boldly, unashamedly, joyfully. Humbly. It’s His work in us as we obey, and we are not responsible for the outcome — just the obedience.

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

— Romans 6:17-18

The Kingdom needs your color. People notice when you’re missing, and the mission needs your gifts and vibrancy. You don’t have to be as bright as the reds, or as cool as the blues, or as smooth as the ocean-washed agate, or as soft as the mohair. God designed you with your own texture and tones and patterns, and as long as you are yielded in His hands, He knows how to make your colors sing with the rest.

If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

— 1 Corinthians 12:17-20

Jesus, help us obey You today. Give us something special to obey in — a solid step forward, a brave move that expands Your kingdom and encourages us as we expand our comfort zone and do bolder things. No striving, just rest and trust in You as we partner in what You’re already doing.

Here’s the printable version of this post:

Looking for another Kindling post? They’re all right here. Or click here to subscribe and get everything right to your inbox.