Color of Gray

Today's post begins with a quote that I used in one of my recent messages on The Turn-Up Patch written by Steve Maraboli... "There is beauty laced within this day... be courageous enough to find it, be kind enough to share it, and at the end of the day, be wise enough to let it go."

This quote resonated with some of my readers who contacted me to let me know how much they liked it.  Truly, some days are less than glorious and contain the ups and downs of life ranging from happiness to despair.  A day can be colored within a spectrum of circumstances and emotions and some days have no color at all.... the gray days.  But there can be beauty laced into a gray day as well - we just need to look for it.  

To illustrate this point, I used these photographs that can represent a gray day.  Photography is a wonderful tool to express a thought.  The other day, we took a drive over a mountain pass in the middle of a snow storm.  I managed to take a few shots through the window as my husband maneuvered the pickup truck through the snowy road.  The first two photos are edited through the infrared filter, which made a more interesting contrast in dark and light of snow and trees.  Infrared, shortly defined, is an invisible light that exists in the spectrum of color.  How often does our great God use His infrared Light to cast a beauty to the sometimes gray of our day.  

Occasionally, a splash of color will appear bringing a touch of brightness to an otherwise dull day.  It can come in the form of a friend's phone call or email; a cat's purr or a dog's lick on your hand; a fragrant smell or a cherished memory.  It can be a smile or a hug or the smell of fresh rain or the crunch of snow beneath your feet.  It can be a lifting of heart in knowing that God is present and cares.  Sometimes, a splash of color will hold direction and caution in finding your way.....

Usually during a winter storm, there is a quietness that settles down along with the multitude of snowflakes blanketing the ground.  A silence is heard and peace is found.  If we would take time to quiet our minds and hearts and listen during times of gray, peace is found beyond the shadows.  A popular scripture and one that is used many times never loses it's power in its simplicity.... "Be still and know that I am God"  - Psalm 46:10

Look for the beauty in your day.  Yes, sometimes it takes courage to find it - to rise up out of your bed of gray and reach beyond into the experience of discovery to take and to share and to move on.

Check out the attached link and listen to the beautiful words in this song "Be Still And Know" by Steve Chapman....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcX5106rJLY
There is another wonderful song by Steve Chapman, "You Are My Hiding Place", which directly follows the above song on the same You Tube link.  Listen to both and be blessed!

See you next time, same place at The Turn-Up Patch on Monday, February 15....