Wednesday and Friday of this week a great team of people showed up to help with preparations for using our new entrance. Emptying out the back of the sanctuary to make way for more seating revealed how badly the rear wall needed painting.
Finding no old paint cans for reference, Sue and I headed off to the store with a clear vision of the color in our heads. We perused the color swaths and agreed on one we were sure was “very close … although a bit warmer.”
Friday, I was summoned from my office to give and opinion. The freshly painted wall glowed with a stomach upsetting sort of orangish glow. Trying to stay positive, I said, “Well it looks better than before.” One of the crew responded, “Eh … not so much.” The paint color was “Totally Tan” but they were calling it “Fake Tan” and “Spray on Tan.” I felt bad about wasted money and volunteer time, but it was clear that even the paint crew thought the color needed to go. When someone proclaimed that the color was “Trump Tan” … I finally agreed.
I’ve done a lot of painting in my life and know that it’s hard to predict the final effect based on a two-inch color swatch. Still, I was amazed that our memories had led us so far from the desired color. Saturday morning, I was rummaging through some painting supplies and found an old roller pan. It was filled with a thick layer of our original color. I peeled out a large swath from which we were able to get a match. THANK YOU … to those who came out to help us cover “Intolerably Tan.”
When it comes to major wrong turns in life, they seldom happen overnight. The shift in a person’s behavior might seem sudden, but it was more likely a long time coming. The change took place by shades. When their new color finally hit the public wall, people were shocked … sometimes appalled by the contrast. That’s why we all need to keep going back to some immovable point. God’s Word lived and taught in God’s community is that point.
