Over the weekend, I helped one of my best friends paint a few things in her apartment including a newly painted yellow wall. And if you know me, I’m sure you can guess what happened! Yep, God started giving me revelation about growing and maturing in Christ all from this yellow wall lol. 

Of course, I want to share these lessons with you and I don’t want to waste another moment writing some intro text, so without further ado, I present to you 3 lessons from a yellow wall:

1. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Repetition

So this wasn’t my first rodeo painting apartment walls. A couple of years ago, I decided to paint my own apartment and let me tell you, it was miserable. I hated it lol.

It just felt like a lot of hard work that I honestly didn’t want to do. I did everything I could to make the experience more enjoyable like putting on great jams or inviting friends over for a painting party, but at the end of the day, it was still an exhausting experience.

But like the old saying goes, good things get better with time. 

I talk about another aspect that contributed to this better experience later in the blog post, but I was honestly shocked at how much better my experience was this time than it was 3 years ago. 

Then God began to remind me that there is power in repetition.

For you, it may not be painting a wall but what about maintaining a positive attitude when things don’t go your way? Or what about being consistent with the one thing God told you to do in this season even though you’re not necessarily seeing results? 

When you are called and I know you are because every believer is called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), there will be seasons where God allows you to repeat something over and over again until you mature in that area to the point that you are more like Him.

In these moments, it’s easy to get frustrated or discouraged, but I’m reminded of Galatians 6:9 that says, “Do not become weary in doing well because at the proper time, you’ll receive a harvest if you don’t give up.”

And just remember that you may be where you are now, but it won’t always be like this. This season may not feel good, but it’s working FOR your good and everything that God is doing in your life right now is preparing you for what He has for you.   

2. Focus on the End Goal

That brings me to the next lesson God used the yellow wall to reveal to me. You have to constantly remind yourself of the end goal. And there are many end goals in life if you take time to reflect on your priorities and what you really want. 

Is it eternity?
Is it helping souls get saved?
Is it reaching a level of financial independence?
Is it being a good spouse, parent, or friend?

For me in this particular moment of painting the yellow wall, it was a better-looking apartment that matched my friend’s Pinterest board lol. (Tbh, I’m not sure if she had one but I definitely had one a few years ago when I was painting my own apartment).

And throughout the day as I was rolling paint on the walls, I found myself getting tired or making comments like, “I have no idea how you were going to do this all by yourself,” because y’all, my friend was legit planning to paint everything by herself and she was actually content about it.

But in those moments, she kept reminding me how the end result was so worth it. She kept talking about this DIY creative project allowing her to start and finish something and how that in itself was the real accomplishment.

And this is something that should serve as a good reminder to us too! 

No matter what you’re trying to do in this life, it will require a level of sacrifice and work. God has put gifts on the inside of you and He wants a full return on His investment, which looks like helping to advance His Kingdom. 

So when the going gets tough…
When you feel frustrated…
When you feel tired…
When you’ve lost sight of your why…
When the end doesn’t look near…

Remind yourself of the end goal.

Because when you’re building and pursuing a career, a family, or a calling, it won’t always come easy. Jesus even tells us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.”

That’s why lesson #1 in this post is so important. If you continue to repeat the things that God is asking you to do, He will build your resilience and endurance through difficult seasons. He will develop a stronger character in you.

You can’t walk in purpose and expect it to happen by doing it in your own strength. Allow God to be your helper. Fix our eyes on JESUS, who is the author and perfecter of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Bonus Note: I would be completely remised if I didn’t mention that Jesus should ALWAYS be one of our end goals. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and that’s why Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be added unto you.” 

3. What You’re Doing Now is Preparing You for What’s Next

Lastly, never forget that what you’re doing now is preparing you for your next! 

Back to the yellow wall, one of the factors that made this experience better is the fact that I had more upper body strength than I did 3 years ago lol. Over the last year, I’ve worked out on a regular, consistent basis and this includes strength training and conditioning! In the past, my arms were so tired from using the paint roller, but not this time! 

It’s like the Mr. Miyagi wax-on, wax-off experience. You may not know the intended use, but there is a purpose for it. And it just goes to show you how God really does work ALL things together for your good. This may be a silly example, but…

When things don’t make sense…
When you don’t understand why you’re at your job…
When your experience doesn’t seem to match the vision for your life…

Just know that God knows the plans concerning you and they are plans to prosper you, to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
Just like this example where the strength I gained from working out helped me with a small project like helping my friend paint her yellow wall, God will use everything for your good. He doesn’t waste a moment or experience.

He really is that faithful! So trust that the areas that are disciplining you, pruning you, and refining you, God is faithful to finish what He has started.

Let’s Discuss:

1. What’s an area of your life where God may be developing you to become more like Him?
2. What’s an end goal that you’re believing God for?
3. How can you maintain a positive attitude when you find yourself frustrated or discouraged?