Does that title scare you? Make you feel a little uneasy? Are you hesitating to read any further? Please, continue reading as I hope to bring you a word of encouragement.
Do you have a favourite colour? When shopping for clothes are you drawn to clothes in that colour? Do you tend to wear clothes that are dark or muted colours, like black or navy? Perhaps lighter shades like pale blues and pinks? What about bold and bright colours, like red or yellow?
There is possibly a psychology behind colours but I am not going to go into that.
I have often been called the “orange lady” as I like the colour orange and I have a few items of clothing in that colour. Whenever I wear orange I often hear the comments like, “You brightened up my day” or “You brightened up the whole room when you walked in”, or “You are like a ray of sunshine”. Comments like those put a smile on my face. I like to spread a little sunshine.
Currently, and for the past 15 years or so, orange has been my favourite colour. I find the colour orange to be bright and cheery. Recently I found out that the colour orange conveys warmth, excitement and enthusiasm. On days when I’m feeling a little down, wearing orange, sometimes helps to lighten my mood.
To clarify, I don’t always wear orange coloured clothing. I do wear a black, off white, white, or green depending on the season, but I do try to add a pop of colour to my outfit.
For many years I wore black or navy all the time. My self esteem was very low. I didn’t like all of the weight I had gained. I didn’t feel good about myself and I wanted to hide. So, wearing dark colours was safe, plus you look slimmer when you wear monochromatic dark colours, right? Wearing dark colours also helps a person blend in more, right?
How did I get from always wearing dark colours to wearing a very noticeable bright colours? It’s a long story and it took a lot of work.
“For you created my inmate being; You knit me together in my mother’s mom. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:13-14a NIV). I am wonderfully made by a God who loves me. It’s like a light went on. No matter how I look and feel about myself, God loves me. For some reason, when I read that verse many years ago, it really meant something to me. Over the years I am learning more and more about what that really means.
I have heard that very tall or really short people tend stand out in a crowd no matter what you wear. I am vertically challenged, so somehow I stand out in a crowd. So, if I’m going to stand out in a crowd, why not look good and make a statement doing it, right? People stare at me because I am short. I might as well brighten up their day and be ray of sunshine for them to look at. Hopefully they have their sunglasses.
In case you might be wondering, yes, orange looks good on me. I’m not an eye sore when people see me.
What colours do you like to wear? Do you wear colours that make you feel good or do you wear subdued colours because you feel down? Or do you wear black because that’s just you? I hope you wear the colours that make you happy and perhaps cheer others up along the way.
So, if you see someone wearing bright bold colours, and it brightens up your day, it’s a beautiful thing.