Shades of Life

I love wide open spaces like this photo portrays.  I also revel in mountain grandeur and ocean glory. It makes me wonder ... why do these diverse natural scenes inspire such similar reactions? I'm reminded of the unity God displays each time He paints a rainbow in the sky. Embedded within the light we usually see as singular and white, there is an array of vibrant hues ... from bright yellow to smoky violet. In the same way, I see Him coloring my life in so many shades of experience and emotion. Just today, my surroundings ranged from a busy  university campus at noon, to a sparse nursing home room in the afternoon, to a lovely neighborhood park this evening. Emotions spanned joy, doubt, peace, fear, hope, anxiety, gratitude, and more. Yet I recognized that in and through it all, there was one purpose--to recognize and celebrate God's help and hand. He is the unchanging focus and center. James 1:17b describes Him as " ... the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."  Psalm 139:12 says, "Even the darkness is not dark to You ... darkness and light are alike to You." No matter what shade my life is at any moment, the Lord promises to provide all the light and love I need to find my way.  Hallelujah.

Promises on Repeat

When I think about why God created rainbows in the first place--as a visual guarantee that He would never again flood the earth--I'm amazed at His generosity. He could have just spoken the promise, and it would eventually be written in Scripture, but He decided to paint a glorious splash of color in the sky that appears over and over again, generation after generation. And, we often get not only one, but two rainbows at the same time! It seems He knows that we need reminders, lots of them, to keep us focused on His Truth. In Isaiah 41, the Lord says, "Do not fear ... I will help you," three times in three verses (10, 13-14). In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus devotes ten full verses to "Do not worry." Although I typically find repetition annoying, in the Bible it is deeply reassuring. In times of anxiety, I find verse after verse telling me I can be at peace. If I am feeling down, Scripture provides so many examples and encouragements to give thanks and rejoice, infusing my heart with fresh hope. How about you? What are some of your favorite "promises on repeat"?  I hope you'll share them! **The photo above was taken at the Mike Silva International Evangelism Festival, in the Dominican Republic, just last week. Some 160,000 people heard the Gospel. Hallelujah!!!