WHO DREW THE LINES?

A favorite memory growing up was when I learned to color. Like most youngsters with a new box of crayons, I scribbled, intoxicated by the power of the crayon. Then came coloring books with black-and-white line drawings on cheap paper. There were snowmen, animals, boats, and even children like me. I was told, “Use any color you want; the idea is to just stay inside the lines.”

At first, it was hard, but with practice and encouragement, I got better. Then, one day, I was handed a blank page and told, “It’s up to you now. You draw the picture and put in the colors.” Michelangelo or Monet, I was not, but my child-like efforts were perfect for the “refrigerator door gallery” in our home. And rave reviews inspired me to keep on coloring.

I NEVER KNEW THE PEOPLE

responsible for publishing coloring books, but I am glad they were there. I’m grateful someone drew the lines for me. They taught me the meaning of shapes and the potential on a blank page.

Coloring book people were strangers to me. I never knew the fine points of their creeds or the color of their skin. But they taught me the power of a crayon, that it’s most effective and beautiful when kept within the lines. Over time, lines on a page helped me understand the need for lines in life.

LINES ARE THE BOUNDARIES

for our creative urges. I learned to recognize a snowman by its shape and discovered something else. Snowmen don’t have to be white. They can be blue. Someone older and wiser, with a steady hand and a playful spirit, taught me that. They dished out life’s playfulness and laughter to me by the handful while never forgetting the value of boundaries.

But that was then, and this is now. Now, it’s my turn to help others draw the lines, and it’s your turn, too.

Young moms and dads, middle and senior-age followers of Jesus, we are all God’s “coloring book people.” We are the ones no family or civilization can do without. In a high-tech society, high-touch mentors are essential. In the innocent world of crayons and coloring books, we call this “show and tell.” In the not-so-innocent world of substance abuse, pornography, teen pregnancy, and spiritual emptiness, it’s known as “drawing the line.” Lines of strength and love, character and confidence, right and wrong. Moral and spiritual values are needed if the children and grandchildren of our world are to become works of God’s creative art. Lines are what give shape to life and allow it to become rich and colorful. We must keep drawing the lines until those coming after us can handle a blank page.

Computers and calculators (high-tech) have helped this generation make a living, but crayons and coloring books (high-touch) are still the ingredients that fill one’s life with imagination and love.

ONCE UPON A TIME

Dixie invited a long-time friend, the wife of a college professor, to our home for morning tea. Knowing this was a woman whose childhood love for coloring had not diminished with age, she went to the store and purchased two coloring books and a set of crayons. They spent the afternoon coloring together, laughing, and sharing conversation and camaraderie.

THE WORLD HAS A SHORTAGE

of coloring book people, and I think it’s a shame. Now that I’m grown up (sort of) I’ve decided to be one. Thankfully, whatever our age, there is still time. Whether simply enjoying a romp through one’s childhood or tackling the more serious task of helping coming generations learn how to draw and live between the lines, it’s never too late to join the ranks of the coloring book crowd. The lines must be drawn first before the blank page. Not the other way around.