Saturday, February 2, 2013

Nothing but Blue

Walking in the woods this winter, I see a bare, stark landscape. The leaves, dropped this fall, lie lifeless along the pathways and the forest floor. Thin and wheat-colored, the grass bordering the path waves in the breeze. Brown, black, and gray tree trunks block out the light. Without their summer finery, their branches look twisted and bare.

On this warm February day, I walk along the nature trails. Everything around me is bland, devoid of color. Rounding a bend in the path, I come to an area that has recently been stripped. Once, evergreen trees dotted this area, surrounded by bluegrass and other natural prairie grasses. But the bulldozers moved in, using their massive teeth to rip and tear the trees from their home. A clearing larger than a football field is now littered with torn and shredded branches, the only remains of the once beautiful trees.
I’m saddened at the destruction. In this bleak landscape my eyes long for color. Following the meandering path, I spy a few remaining evergreen trees. But they’ve lost their bright summer green. Bleached by freezing temperatures and extreme drought, their forest green clothing has changed to a dull greenish-brown. As the path winds back through the bare walnut, cottonwood, and locust trees, I notice their long shadows creating eerie patterns in the hard-packed earth.
For some reason, I look up. There between the bare tree limbs, I see it: the bright, beautiful blue sky. Looking around at the sky, I see nothing but blue. A clear blue dome stretches from horizon to horizon, covering the otherwise stark landscape as if it were holding winter’s bleakness in a gentle embrace.

I rejoice in the lovely blue color surrounding all the dull landscape. And I smile.
Sometimes life here on earth can seem like a dull winter landscape. All can seem colorless, twisted, and destroyed. But when I turn my thoughts upward, toward God, my eyes are once again opened to His beauty. I am reminded that God’s grace covers me and brightens the bleakest of days.

Father God, keep my thoughts on your goodness and grace. When I walk along life’s bleak pathways, help me focus on Your beauty and grace.

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

2 comments:

  1. Your header photo is breathtaking..
    and I am awestruck at how many blues our Lord has created!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment. I took the photo on the Road to the Sun in Glacier National Park in Montana. Ironically, I was downloading a photo for Nothing but Blue when you posted your comment. By the way, I enjoy reading your blog--keep writing and posting!

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