If you’ve been inside a Hobby Lobby, Target, Walmart, or Barnes & Noble store recently, you probably noticed the entire sections wallpapered with adult coloring books.
We dove into the wonder of rest this week during the online Summer Bible Study at MargaretFeinberg.com. (It’s not too late to join us! Learn how to jump in, here). And one of the newest ways I’ve engaged in rest is through coloring.
Coloring books for grown-ups are all the rage. Here’s why:
1. Adult coloring alter our brains.
The effects of coloring are explored by brain science. Coloring activates both cerebral hemispheres. Logic is required to color within the images. Creativity is required to mix and match colors.
The use of vision and coordination (fine motor skills) reduce the activity in the amygdala—the part of our brain that controls stress induced emotions.
In other words, coloring shifts our attention away from our worries. Whether using ink or pencil, paint or crayon, the process of slowing down and focusing on a creative outlet creates a sense of calm.
2. Adult coloring provides a way to hush the noise of technology.
A global study reveals that many have become “screenagers” and crave a slower pace of life. When you’re coloring, it’s you and the paper. No pings. No dings. No screens. No notifications.
You can be still, focus, and rest.
3. Christian adult coloring offers a fresh way to memorize Scripture.
Rather than stare at an index card or rewrite a passage, you move slowly though the words. You can say them aloud. Pray them. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you commit them to memory.
4. Christian adult coloring books can be more than a collection of Bible verses.
If you look closely at the handpicked passages of Live Loved: An Adult Christian Coloring Book, then you’ll notice a progression. The initial pages saturate you the truth of God’s fierce love for you, but then they shift to call you to live out that love by loving others.
There are pages on the flip side of the coloring page to journal your prayers, hopes, thoughts, and dreams. We’ve heard from grandmommas who pick out specific verses for one of their grandbabies, and commit to praying for that child every time they color that page. The end result is a prayer page, of sorts. Each stroke a love-soaked prayer.
5. Christian adult coloring books can be a gift for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
I received this sweet note from a Facebook friend this week:
“My mom who has dementia has benefited from your beautiful coloring books. She has trouble remembering verses she had memorized, and spending time coloring gives her a chance to focus on the verse in the design!”
Coloring Scripture can become a way to bring those verses—planted in minds and hearts—back to life once again.
Maybe you enjoy coloring for its stress-reducing properties.
Or to spend more time with your kids and grandkids without coloring Elsa and Anna for the 43rd time.
Or maybe you want a fresh way to memorize Scripture.
No matter the reason, adult coloring books are a fresh, creative way to engage in the wonder of God’s rest.
Save big and order Live Loved, Live Free, Live Fearless coloring books with colored pencils for only $29.97 or grab a 10 pack of Live Love, Live Free, or Live Fearless for only $89.90.
Describe your experience using an adult coloring books.
Share a photo of one of the pages you’ve colored from Live Loved, Live Free, or Live Fearless using the hashtag #LIVEWONDERSTRUCK.
Join us back at MargaretFeinberg.com on Monday, June 27th as we begin Week 4: The Wonder of Prayer during the online Summer Bible Study.
