My parents are literally DAYS away from closing on their new home. There’s LOTS of last minute detail work going on to prepare for the final inspection.
To help speed things along, the other day my dad offered to help the painters do some touch-up work. So with a can of paint and a brush in hand, he went to work, dabbing away at any little nicks and smudges that needed retouching.
Ironically, most of the paint colors my parents chose for their house are all variations of the color white — Jasper White for the exterior, Origami White for the interior, and Pure White for all of the the baseboards and trim.
Now, if you haven’t been to the paint section at Lowe’s in a while, you’re probably scratching your head right now thinking “a white’s a white, isn’t it????”— and to that, all I can say is…bless your heart. 😂😂😂
Actually, there are SO many “different” whites to choose from nowadays…that after a while, it sort of makes your head spin. 😵💫
It’s like one minute you’re standing in a home improvement store looking through paint swatches and the next you’re suddenly sucked into a “white hole” of endless options.
And the longer you stare at the paint chips, the more they begin blurring together like the vast white sands of a New Mexico desert, until everything around you seems like nothing short of a distant mirage.
That is, until a sales associate wearing a blue vest taps you on the shoulder and says, “Ma’am, is there anything I can help you with?” 😂
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With sooooo many different whites to choose from, how DO you tell them apart?!?
The trouble is, when viewed individually, each white looks…well, white.
But according to today’s top designers, each shade of white has what they call an undertone.
An undertone is the hint of color that lurks just beneath the surface and ultimately affects your overall hue — causing it to look either cool, warm, or neutral. A cool undertone is generally associated with blues, pinks, or reds. A warm undertone is generally more peachy, golden, or yellow.
The trick to determining the undertone? Hold your swatch up to a “pure white.” Designers suggest using a plain white sheet of basic copy paper…and voila! The undertones jump right out.
This advice never rang truer than it did after my dad finally finished touching up those walls and texting pics of the progress to my mom…it was at that point we realized something had gone terribly wrong…😂.
Due to a mix up in paint lids, my dad (who is legally colorblind and can’t tell the difference between red and green let alone between two slightly different shades of white) had inadvertently been touching up the Origami White walls with PURE WHITE PAINT! 😱😂🥴😳😭🤯😵🤭
I think my mom was half tempted to flip her proverbial paint-lid over the whole debacle…but you know what they say…
…2 wrongs don’t make a WHITE. 😂😂😂🤭
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And that’s when I started thinking…
Just like all the various shades white out there, there are seemingly infinite shades of “truth” to choose from nowadays, too…and after a while, it all sort of makes your head spin. 😵💫
In our current culture, we’re led to believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth, but rather that truth is relative and that everyone has their own “personal truth,” if you will.
These “personal truths” seem to hold their own when held to nothing but their own standards; just as the white swatches all appear to be a true white when viewed individually.
But when held to a piece of copy paper, the difference is apparent. And in spiritual terms, that plain piece of white copy paper is none other than the Bible.
Next to the Truth of God’s Word, any man-made truths only pale in comparison. God’s Word alone is the true litmus test.
Why? Because the scriptures are from God Himself (II Timothy 3:16-17), and He alone is the most Pure (Psalm 12:6), the most Holy (I Samuel 2:2), the most High (Psalm 46:2), and the most Righteous (Psalm 119:142).
By our own standards, we may walk around looking like “good” people — but make no mistake, God is not colorblind. And when judged by His holiness, we ALLLLL have undertones.
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one;” – Romans 3:10
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” – Romans 3:23
Thankfully, God knows we have undertones, and He’s provided a way to cover those impurities with “…the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” I Peter 1:19
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” -Isaiah 1:18
It is only when we are spiritually washed in the blood of Jesus through baptism that our souls — whether red, yellow, black, or “white” — can become as white as snow (Romans 6:3).
Praise God.
Until next time…
-PWAP
