Embrace the Colors

Nothing like walking on a dreary, overcast morning and finding an explosion of purple. This flowering bush was green the last time I passed. Today, it is crazy loud and beautiful. What an unexpected explosion of color!

I like color. The people in my life give me a lot of grief over my love of color. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, I wear seersucker suits. I have a number of colors: red, blue, grey, tan, green and purple. As a large person, I am reminded from time to time when I wear color, “that is a lot of red” or “that is a lot of purple”. But, seriously, can you have too much color?

Creation is alive with infinite shades of color. The sky. The sunrise and sunset. The rainbow. The human race. The countless colors of flowers and ever-changing greens of the leaves. In that strange book of the Bible called The Revelation, the description of the beauty of the heavenly city is a portrait done in blazing color. There are rainbows and sapphires and emeralds. There is gold and pearl and white. Everything is alive with color. All these colors, rich and varied, remind us of the presence of God.

We can choose to embrace the colors that surround us as reminders of the presence of God. We can let the rich colors of creation wash over us and change the dreariness of the moment and bring us joy. Oscar Wilde wrote that, “Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.” In these crazy times, my soul often needs a word. I will keep my eyes open and keep listening to the beauty of creation.

Peace.