Coloring Outside the Lines of Grace

I still remember my grade school glory days — me, a blank coloring page, and my prized 64-pack of Crayolas. Oh, the smell of wax and potential!

I might not have been Michelangelo, but give me a steady hand and I could color within the lines like a pro. Let’s just say, if there’d been trophies for “Best Use of Sky Blue,” I’d have cleared the shelf!

Fast-forward many decades, and staying “within the lines” isn’t as easy. Life has a way of smudging, scribbling, and spilling outside the borders. But here’s what I’ve learned: God isn’t grading us on neatness. He’s creating a masterpiece — and, believe it or not, we’re it!

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus…” — Ephesians 2:10

Now, I’ll be honest. Some days I feel less like a masterpiece and more like a half-finished doodle — maybe one a kindergartener started before snack time. I’m not perfect. I mess up, miss the mark, and occasionally scribble right over someone else’s joy.

But that’s where grace comes in. The Apostle Paul, the same man who wrote most of the New Testament, said, “I don’t understand what I do!” (Romans 7:15). That’s me, too — especially when I walk into the kitchen determined to eat healthy and walk out with a cookie.

Paul figured out the secret: the bridge between failure and freedom is grace. Grace doesn’t erase our mess; it turns it into art. It’s God saying, “I can work with that.”

So maybe today, instead of trying to color perfectly, we just color faithfully — with joy, courage, and use every crayon God’s handed us.

When we mess up, we pick up the next color and keep going.
Because God isn’t looking for perfection; He’s painting redemption.
And when He’s done, our lives — smudges, streaks, and all — will tell the most beautiful story of all — Amazing Grace, drawn by the Master Himself.

Don’t worry about coloring inside the lines — God’s grace covers the smudges. We’re His masterpiece in progress!

#GraceInColor #GodsMasterpiece #FaithWithJoy