My home is in the country near Smith Mountain Lake and I enjoy the views of the woods and the animals during all 4 seasons. I never tire of the antics of the wildlife and the changing phases of all the natural world.

The view out the window in my home office is rather barren right now. A few pines show up green against the dead brown backdrop and the pale blue sky. It is pretty in a stark sort of way, but it lacks in color. Then my eyes are suddenly feasting on the most brilliant red in Creation as a cardinal flies in to perch on a branch near the window.

And I am struck by the parallel in our daily lives. There are times when all we notice is a colorless landscape around us. We are stuck in the daily grind and all we can see is the monotony of life in browns and grays.

But there is never a single day that we live that God does not provide a ray of hope. There is never a day that He does not drop a bit of color into our lives to give us the opportunity to be thankful, and to make us smile. Sometimes we have to stop what we are doing and really look and listen for those small gifts, but they are there.

Is there a cardinal or a blue bird outside your window today that you failed to notice, enjoy and give thanks for? Pray for eyes that really “see”. It’s worth the pause.