THE WRONG GREEN (From the Archive)
A Dramatic Moment from TOTAL IMPACT Vol. 3 Issue 8 originally published in November/December 1995
Whoever originally said that Mexico was known for its pastels must have been kidding. Nothing is painted in pastels in Mexico. Everything is painted in the same color. It’s a shade that Crayola probably would have named "convenient." It would have been that one taboo crayon that is never touched by human hands until its time to draw Mexico. The convenient color has many shades. I’ve seen everything from Mexico Yellow to Mexico Pink. Take a color, add milk, and you get Mexico.
The color is special, not merely because its the only paint in the world that looks like chalk, but because it goes so much further than normal paint. Convenient color has been stretched as thin as it can possibly be stretched and, subsequently, is thinner than thinner. The paint may not completely do its job, but it can barely cover more walls than any other paint can fully cover.
I recently spent several days at an orphanage no the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. These days were consumed with ministry and administering several coats of Mexico Green to walls that had previously ben a light shade of children’s fingerprints. The recolorization process was sailing along quite nicely until we noticed a little problem underneath the surface.
Bubbles.
I’m not referring to Mr. Jackson’s chimp or the wonderful milk results that surface out of the nostril during laughter. I'm referring to a clue, a hint that underneath the wall of Mexico Green, something was ultimately and most definitely wrong.
We began to peel away at the air bubble only to discover that underneath four layers of Mexico milk was a portion of wall that had soured, completely deteriorated. It simply would not accept the paint until we got rid of the inner grime. This didn't set us back emotionally. We simply began sanding around the wounded area, until we realized how deep the scar actually lingered.
We began to pull the layer away, slowly chipping, slowly digging, until eventually the entire wall was in crumbs on the floor. We began to wonder why this destruction was happening right now. Were we using the wrong paint to cover up what had been done or did the problem lie
within what was being covered? That small area of deterioration had never been attended to, only avoided, until one day it not only took down the entire wall, but the new green as well.
How often have we, as the body of Christ, continued to change the color of our exterior in order to find God’s perfect anointing while, all along, bubbles were warning of a problem within? A long time ago, we put on a coat that we knew was capable of being soured. Rather than dealing with it, we put a new coat over that one, then another, then another. As each coat of paint became progressively thinner, each coat also needed to be just a tad darker in order to hide the problems underneath. Because of this, what started off as white and pure as snow has now become a facade covering the depth that is falling apart underneath a mask of the wrong green.
I think back to the men who originally painted that orphanage. I’m certain that they didn't realize the damage that was being done as it was happening. Back then, it would have been simple and unembarrassing to remedy. The problem was most certainly discovered when it was time to cover it up. But then, there was the risk of ridicule, of having been less than the painters were supposed to have been. So, rather than deal with the mess, it remained for years.
And now, six coats later, it has destroyed a wall.
It has destroyed much more of a wall than should have been destroyed. For you see, though the rotting ruined al the covering that had been placed on top, the chipping, puling, and digging destroyed everything underneath. So now that wall is covered again with a brighter
shade of Mexico, a right green. It may not be as pretty as it was before, and it may always remind us of the pulling and the chipping, but one thing is for certain: it will last a long, long time.
Next: “Fingerprints of the Decade” A Dramatic Moment from TOTAL IMPACT Vol. 4 Issue 1 originally published in January / February 1996