“We are the Blue Family,” Father Blue proclaimed to his first child. “We color the rivers, lakes, and seas, and we paint the sky on the most beautiful days.” The first child left home, went out on her own, and became red. And her color filled the sky with ominous and scary imagery.
“We are the Blue Family,” Father Blue proclaimed to his second child. “We color the rivers, lakes, and seas, and we paint the sky on the most beautiful days.” Father Blue then continued, “But I tell you this, and it is of primary importance. Above all else, do not be red.” And so, the second child left home, and he became yellow. His color filled the waters with a sickening and urine-like sight.
“We are the Blue Family,” Father Blue proclaimed to his third child. “We color the rivers, lakes, and seas, and we paint the sky on the most beautiful days.” Father Blue then continued, “But I tell you this, and it is of primary importance. Above all else, do not be red, and do not be yellow.” And so, the third child left home, and she became orange. “I am neither red nor yellow,” she said in self-satisfaction, not realizing that she was actually some of both (and, dare I say, the worst color of all).
“We are the Blue Family,” Father Blue proclaimed to his fourth child. “We color the rivers, lakes, and seas, and we paint the sky on the most beautiful days.” Father Blue then continued, “But I tell you this, and it is of primary importance. Above all else, do not have even the slightest bit of red, nor the slightest tinge of yellow in you.” And so, the fourth child left home, and he became gray, painting the skies and waters with his murk and gloom.
Having seen enough, and with only one child left, Mother Blue stepped forward.
“We are the Blue Family,” Mother Blue proclaimed to their fifth and final child. “We color the rivers, lakes, and seas, and we paint the sky on the most beautiful days.” Mother Blue then continued, “But I tell you this, and it is of primary importance. Above all else, do your best to be blue.” And so, the fifth child left home, and as fitting for the youngest of them all, became the sweetest and loveliest baby blue.
All too often, my belief system can be consumed with “Don’t be red” and “Don’t be yellow” religion. Remember how the Pharisee prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” In other words, “God, I thank you that I’m neither ‘red’ nor ‘yellow.’” But the problem is the Pharisee was ‘gray.’ In the same way, when we read something like The Parable of the Sower, it is easy to restrict its impact to the following: “Don’t be like the path, don’t be like the rocky ground, and don’t be like the thorns.” And we get some kind of self-satisfaction as we read each of those bad descriptions and say, “Alright, alright, alright. That’s not me. I must be good,” not realizing that we are might be some orange-like blend of multiple bad soils, or maybe some entirely other kind of gray-like evil. And so, maybe the lesson instead needs to be this: “Do your best to be blue.” In other words, instead of comparing yourself to that rotten soil over there, and falsely justifying yourself because you’re not exactly like “one of them baddies,” maybe you need to look to and focus on the good soil and strive to be that.
Matthew 13:23a – “As for what was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it.”
Mark 4:20a – But those who were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit…”
Luke 8:15 – “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”
So, focus on the good soil, and ignore the rest for a moment. Do you understand the word? Do you really “get it” – that the Lord is just as powerful and present, and just as necessary and as graciously available today as He has always been? Do you accept the word, especially its more difficult and challenging commandments? Do you hold it fast with an honest heart, not falsely twisting its words but instead sincerely evaluating your life according to its precepts? And finally, are you bearing fruit in your life? May we all stop with vain comparisons, and instead strive to be like the good soil – “to be blue” – to be just like Jesus.