Warts and All

Many of my friends had, for at least once in their life, joined a promotion by cosmetic companies to have a makeover packaged with photographs taken by professional photographers.

There, the cosmetic companies happily closed their sales, the make-up artists and hair stylists passionately colour their faces and blow their hair, and the photographers creatively snapping away with images. Then, photographs will be doctored to the satisfaction of the clients. Often, there is no blemish! The clients walk away happily with the film-star-like photographs to keep, to self admire and to show!

Warts and all - that's all I want it! How many of us really mean it, or do we look at the photograph and think it does not do us justice?

It was during the years of the Protectorate in England. The Protector said to the French painter, Mr Peter Lely, "I desire you would use all your skill to paint my picture truly like me, and not flatter me at all; but remark all these roughnesses, pimples, warts and all; otherwise I never will pay a farthing for it."

We all like to present ourselves in brighter-than-life colours! In fact, by doing so, we lose our true colours, our true self. I like this song, "True Colours" -

You with the sad eyes
don't be discouraged
oh I realize
it's hard to take courage
in a world full of people
you can lose sight of it all
and the darkness inside you
can make you fell so small

But I see your true colors
shining through
I see your true colors
and that's why I love you
so don't be afraid to let them show
your true colors
true colors are beautiful
like a rainbow

Show me a smile then
don't be unhappy, can't remember
when I last saw you laughing
if this world makes you crazy
and you've taken all you can bear
you call me up
because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors
shining through
I see your true colors
and that's why I love you
so don't be afraid to let them show
your true colors
true colors are beautiful
like a rainbow

God sees people and things the way they actually are, "warts and all".
He uses people who are not perfect - in fact, he seems to prefer that kind!

So, show your true colours! True colours are beautiful like a rainbow.