Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna
In late October I drove over to Lewis County, Kentucky, to see my Mom and do some work for my brothers. It was interesting to note the change in the colors of the leaves as I traveled the A-A highway. The beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows of early autumn had disappeared and in their place were darker hues that were much less pleasing to the eye.
In trying to pinpoint the colors, I found myself thinking of crayons and of the hues in the boxes of 64 which seemed to match up with the Eastern Kentucky hills’ late fall display. "Raw umber!" I thought (actually "burnt umber" is what I thought, but Crayola assured me that they had never produced such a color). Raw umber and burnt sienna are two of the colors we ignored in our Crayola "big boxes.” (Crayola tells me that they retired raw umber in 1991, but I was able to find a nearly new one downstairs in our First Grade classroom.) The reds and yellows, and even the golds and silvers, were pulled out of the box and used over and over again.
But raw umber and burnt sienna would sit there, patiently waiting their turn, but never being used. Those two dull earth tones were just a waste of space in the box, it seemed. But God needs them and uses them! There comes a time each fall when he presses them into service and they become the main players on His autumnal canvas.
It shouldn't surprise us that God has a use for every color--and every person. Maybe you are more of a raw umber than a brilliant red. That's okay--God has a ministry for you. Your job is to find it with His help. Have you?

-----Phil LeMaster