Walls and Words

"Great idea!" Emilee shouted enthusiastically from her dorm room. I heard desk doors banging as she opened and closed them in pursuit of her dry erase board markers.

"I have a whole bunch of different colors!" I heard Chelsea yell to me from the other room in our suite.

We congregated in our tiny dorm bathroom with bright smiles, a slight spirit of rebellion, and markers in hand.

"Are you sure it will come off?" All three of us stood in stillness, not wanting to be the first one to pop off the lid and officially make the first mark.

"I'm positive! Kristen has written in her bathroom, and if our RA did it, surely we can, too!" With that proclamation, the lid to my lime green expo marker popped off and the "writing on the wall" began!

The rest of the marker lids popped off and fell to the floor. The scent of Expo markers quickly filled the room. I plugged in my ipod and we sang along to upbeat tempos. Soon, our plain white tile walls were filled with vibrant colors. No worries, just a touch of finger nail polish remover erased the markings, so we weren't creating any damage. Still, a slight attitude of playful rebellion prevailed as we did something every child has been warned to avoid: we colored on the walls!

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" is written right beside our bathroom mirror. As you leave, you can't miss the multicolored writing by the door that says, "She is clothed in strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come." Song lyrics, encouraging Scriptures, and our favorite inspirational quotes coat the walls with joy and truth! Whether you are standing in front of the mirror, washing your hands, hanging a towel (or even sitting you know where...) you are surrounded by colorful words and decorations that shout encouragement and love. "Your face, O Lord, I will seek." "You have loved me with an everlasting love."

After an hour and a half, we stepped back and smiled at our joyful creation. Our bathroom was completely transformed, not by color, not by markers, not by decorations, but by the living and active word of God. Now, it is impossible to be sad while standing in our bathroom. Good bye drowsy mornings and bad hair days! No more drudgery and discouragement! Where God's words are inscribed up, down, and all around on every wall from every angle of the bathroom, there is inward beauty and strength.

It's amazing what a little color can add to an ugly dorm bathroom, but it's even more amazing how the Word of God can add color, vibrance, and brilliance to the heart.

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