Anytime we traveled from Ndola down to Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city, we always tried to arrange our trips around a weekend. We wanted to be in town for the Sunday art market in the parking lot of Arcades Mall. Dozens of vendors from around the country would set up their stalls, displaying beautiful works of art and handmade crafts. There were intricate wood carvings of Africa’s Big Five, soapstone candlesticks, polished malachite stones, and handwoven baskets. Backpacks, bags, dresses, and tablecloths made from brightly colored chitenge fabric filled the stalls, and price negotiations filled the air. Our favorite items were always the paintings.
Most of the artists painted on rough canvas, using rich colors to capture the beauty and everyday life of Africa. They hung their paintings around their stalls, but there were so many that dozens more were spread across the ground, held in place by large stones at each corner to keep them from blowing away.
We would carefully weave our way through the narrow footpaths between the paintings, admiring landscapes, wildlife, village scenes, and portraits of African life. Today, some of the paintings that caught our eye trip after trip, hang in our home. They hold wonderful memories of Zambia, but they also bring vibrant color into the rooms of our house. They remind me that we were meant to live vibrant, beautiful, overflowing lives!
There’s a haunting song by the Dave Matthews Band called Grey Street. It’s catchy, the musicianship is incredible, but the story it tells is terribly sad. It’s a song about hopelessness. As the song unfolds, words like stumbling, staring, stuck, emptiness, and brokenhearted paint a dreary picture of a life that has somehow lost its color. It’s a snapshot of someone going through the motions, living a sort of half-life, unable to see beyond the gray. Matthews closes each chorus with the line: “All the colors mix together to grey.” What a tragic picture!
And yet it’s a reality that many people know all too well. Sometimes the heaviness of life, the disappointments, the routines, and the struggles can slowly drain the color from our world. People all around us live as though gray is all there is. But we were made for more! Jesus didn’t come so we could merely exist, stumble through our days, and endure a colorless life. He came to give us life in all its fullness! We were meant to shine bright and add color to our world!
In John 10:10, Jesus declares: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” And in Matthew 5:14–16, Jesus tells his followers that they are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nobody lights a lamp and then hides it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a stand so that its light fills the house. What a picture! We were made to shine and bring hope where there’s despair. Joy where there’s sorrow. Beauty where there’s brokenness. And light where there’s darkness.
Like those beautiful African paintings, our lives are meant to be bold, bright, and on display — not to draw attention to ourselves, but to point others toward the incredible Artist who created us. Lion Living is about living the full-color life God intended and bringing that color into the lives of others.
On my most recent trip to Zambia, I had the opportunity to spend time with a dear friend, Lusaka-based artist Christopher Kasongo. Christopher is a talented painter, and I purchased several of his beautiful paintings, at top dollar, to bring back to Las Cruces for our upcoming ROAR RUN! We’re going to auction these original works of art at the event, with all proceeds going right back into the work Orchard Ministries is doing to empower children and youth in Zambia. Christopher was excited to be part of it, and we’re thrilled to have his work on display! So, if your home could use a splash of vibrant African color, or you haven’t yet registered for our ROAR RUN, just click on one of the paintings below and follow the link to our RunSignup page. Come run with us. Help us bring hope and opportunity to some amazing kids. And who knows? You might even take home a beautiful piece of Zambia!
Color your world lions! Be bright!