The wrong shade of green…

Ever feel like the wrong shade of green?  You know, when the world seems to know something you don’t know?  I spend most of my days like that.  I seem to always be just the wrong shade of green.  Cryptic, I know.  I guess what I am saying is this…if the color for the season was a bright, vibrant, grass green; I’d probably be more of a, say…kelly green.  But I am learning to love this about myself.  I think it’s my purpose.

I have a  great circle of friends.  I mean great.  They are from every walk of life, every shade of the rainbow, even a broad scope of religious beliefs.  So why does it matter that I’m just a little “off”.  Well, I think it’s what draws people to me.  I love like it’s my purpose in life.  I even love my enemies.  I  follow that command with conviction.  I may not particularly like a person, which is fine, but I love them.  We should all love. 
Last year I was the t-ball team mom for Max’s team.  A coveted postion to some, less to me.  It was more of a hassle than a delight.  It was nitpicky and intrusive. It made me hunt down fellow parents for money, make sure all the little players had snack, and at the end of the season I had to make sure the coaches were properly compensated for their time.  In our case, our coaches were compensated with team balls signed by all our all stars displayed on an engraved, resin mitt.  Aside from the “business” end of  team mom, I did enjoy the “hosting” aspect of my role.  Making sure all the parents were chatted up and encouraged as their “I’d rather pick daisies in the outfield than hit the ball” slugger went to bat.  I made some sweet friends.  Friends I hope to always have in my life.  BUT…then I had the “friend”.  The one who signed up to be “co-team” mom, the one who liked the title, but wasn’t interested in the work.  The one who always, always “had my back”.    She had my back, until that is, we really needed to work.  It was the big party, the trophy in one hand…hotdog in the other…final hurrah…team party.  And she didn’t want to make baked beans.  Really? I thought to myself “You are a southerner and you don’t make baked beans?”.  Oh, well!   Then it happened…She got catty.  I got catty-er.  We exchanged heated emails…deleted one another from facebook; all over the beans.  Then the Lord stopped me.  He reached into my heart and tugged on it.  He pulled my eyelids back and opened my eyes.  “Why was I fighting over beans?”  “Why did this woman make me so upset?”  “Why did I care?”  Then it dawned on me…she was put in my path by the Good Lord so that I would love her.  “Love your enemies”.  That’s it.  The Holy Spirit may as well have hit me over the head with a regulation bat.  I got it.  I realized at that moment, I didn’t have to like her, I had to love her.  I had to love her for her “not quite like me” self.  I had to find it in my heart to really love her.  And I did.  For the first time in my life I found myself “loving my enemy”.  That was liberating.  I learned that I am called to love people not necessarily because I chose to love them; but because we are all created in the image of God.  We are called to love.

 So, why does this make me the wrong shade of green?   Well, it doesn’ t in God’s eyes, but it does to so many others.  There was a time when I would have been consumed by what other’s thought.   I would have lost sleep over the “co-team mom” and her distain for crock-potted legumes.  I would have been consumed with whether or not she “liked” me or thought I was the “right shade of green”.   But, now I know  what  truly matters is what the One who created me thinks.  Am I pleasing to him?  Does He see me love, or just condemn?   He desires for me to be the wrong shade of green.  He wants me to stand out.  He wants me to be just a little different.  He created me this way.  He created me to be who He intended; one who loves even when I don’t like.  What if we all did that? 

Imagine, just for a moment, loving the person who cuts you off in traffic.  Loving the lady with 13 items in the 10 or less lane.  Loving your “co-team mom”.  You don’t have to like them…just love them.  It’s liberating.  It makes God smile.  (And when God smiles, it brings a smile to my face, too!)

God created us to be just a bit different.  To stand out.  To draw attention.  He created us to make a difference.  He created us to LOVE!  So whether you are the wrong shade of green, or blue, or red.  Take comfort that you are the perfect shade to God!