Travelling in Sweden recently, we noticed the perennial popularity of ‘Swedish red’ (Falu Rödfärg) for the buildings. Pictured is Olofsfors Bruk, an ironworks living museum where the buildings must conform to the colour code of falu red framed by white. Even the floating duck-house conforms! (The building behind conforms to the yellow colour reserved for higher society.) It was typical of our trip to see buildings and trees mirrored in water in the beautiful September sun and to experience a deep quietness.

These impressions have stayed with me and led me to reflect on conformity.

Olofsfors is exceptional in enforcing conformity to this cultural historical colour scheme. More generally it’s an active choice. Why? Speculating as an outside observer, it’s pleasing to the eye. It looked great against the greens and blues of a sunny start to autumn. Imagine how picture-perfect it must look in the dark days of winter when the houses are lit by stars adorning the windows and the snow glistens all around. And it’s a good choice. The red pigment (originating from the Falun copper mine) has wood-preserving properties and a reflective quality that must transform a dull day, making the most of any sunlight.

It's good to make an active choice about what we conform to. As Christians that could involve choosing to stop conforming to ways that do not preserve wellbeing and conforming more to ways that reflect the light of Jesus Christ. ‘As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart’ it says in Proverbs. Reflections are rarely perfect but better in still water. Psalm 46 says: ‘Be still and know that I am God’. Out of prayerful stillness comes inner transformation towards conformity to the image of Christ and God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.

Related bible verses are Psalm 46:10, Proverbs 27:19, Romans 8:29, 12:2, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 2 Corinthians 3:18.