Last night I stood on the porch and saw the trees silhouetted by the falling sun. The scene was robbed of color, only the back and white of approaching night. Set against the sun, the trees stood as shapes, each pine needle almost a distinct entity. In one sense, I could distinguish the trees more clearly now, in this half-light, than when they were resplendent in their shades of green. Perhaps in my own life too it is in those times when there seems to be no color and no joy that Christ most stands out, clear and distinct. In happy times, I am sometimes diverted by the pleasures around me, but in the black-white hours of my life, I see Christ more fully revealed, a receiving figure on the horizon reaching out to me. Dear Lord, thank you for being a presence when my soul feels colorless, for towering before me and welcoming me into your embrace. Amen.
