True Colors

 

…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. ~I Samuel 16:7

I thought surely Eric Carle had lost his mind. Here was a book titled Hello, Red Fox with a green fox on the cover, all written and illustrated by Eric Carle. When I turned to the first page I saw a giant red heart with a tiny black dot. There was a caption at the bottom labeled Important. I thought I should read it. The instructions said, "Stare at the black dot and count to 10 then look at the black dot on the next page." Okay, so I tried it. A faint green image of the heart appeared on the opposite white page. Then the story of a little green frog’s birthday party began. Each animal invited was not the color it appeared if you took the time to stare 10 seconds at the black dot on the animal then, look at the opposite white page. I thought, "This is really cool, Eric. Maybe you are on to something!"


I thought, "Life is a lot like Eric Carle’story." I seem to be doing a lot of thinking. We think we see people. They make a first impression. How often do we look at people and make a judgment based on what they appear to be; happy, kind, sad, mean, tough, etc. without taking the time to look a little deeper. We don’t know the real person at first glance. Jesus took the time to see the real person. He had compassion for the people even when they were cruel and unloving. He healed the untouchable lepers. He brought the message of salvation to the Samaritan woman. He healed the crippled hand on the Sabbath, though it was "against the law". Jesus put others first. He cared about people.


Father, help me to look at the heart as you do and not the outward appearance. Help me demonstrate a caring, compassionate spirit. Lord, show me how to make a difference in the hearts and lives of others. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Has anyone ever misjudged you? Kids used to think I wasn't much of an athlete because I was a little on the heavy side. When they had a chance to see me in action they gained an entirely different perspective. 

Perhaps one of your friends or acquaintances is being misjudged.  How can you help others see a different side, the real side of the person they really are? 

True Colors

 …for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. I Samuel 16:7

I thought surely Eric Carle had lost his mind. Here was a book titled Hello, Red Fox with a green fox on the cover, all written and illustrated by Eric Carle. When I turned to the first page I saw a giant red heart with a tiny black dot. There was a caption at the bottom labeled Important. I thought I should read it. The instructions said to stare at the black dot and count to 10 then look at the black dot on the next page. Okay, so I tried it. A faint green image of the heart appeared on the opposite white page. Then the story of a little green frog’s birthday party began. Each animal invited was not the color it appeared if you took the time to stare 10 seconds at the black dot on the animal then, look at the opposite white page. I thought, this is really cool, Eric. Maybe you are on to something!

True Colors

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. Psalms 134:2

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has over 9 million visitors each year. I think all 9 million of us must choose the same weekend to visit. The views are amazing and no picture can ever capture the feeling of actually being there. The sound of the last cicada trying to whir, the crickets in the leafy sides, the caw of the crows, all added to the peace and drama of the real scene. Yes, there are oodles of people, but for the most part, quiet people releasing the things of this world and absorbing the beauty of God's creation. 

In autumn the true beauty of a leaf shines forth. All the green of spring and summer cover up the real color of a leaf as it tries to create the food necessary to maintain the life of the tree. Green is the color of chlorophyll. As a leaf finishes its job, the chlorophyll no longer controls the leaf and the true color is the beauty we see in fall. 

I got to thinking, people are a lot like leaves. We put on a front while we date or at our jobs or wherever we think it will benefit our lifestyles, but our true colors will eventually shine through. Most of the pictures were taken as we caught our breath on our way up Clingman's Dome. As we rested again at the base of the tower, a young father came up and addressed my husband who was wearing a Christian t-shirt. The father said, " I like your shirt. You must know the Lord." My husband and I affirmed his assumption. "We are to lift His name on high. We're high!" the father said as we shook hands and began our assent up the tower. 

We often feel alone in our walk with the Lord, but when, like the leaves, we let our true colors show, we find there are lots of others around us who want to join us in lifting the name of the Lord on high. The cool autumn air, the quiet of the forest, and the meeting of a brother and his family, felt really good after a long hard week of work. 

Friday night as we sat out on our balcony, a falling star graced the sky. 

Great and marvelous are Your works,

Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints! 

Revelations 15:3b NKJV

May you find rest in His marvelous works this week. 

Gail

Hey Kids!

Have you tried nature art?

As the leaves change, have you noticed what a rainbow of color you can find?

My kids began picking up leaves on the playground and arranging them by color. It was not my idea, but kids in play came up with an amazing piece of nature art. They chose:

• Maples for red
• Poplar for yellow
• Sassafras for orange
• Pine for green
• Blue spruce for blue
• Dogwood for purple

What types of trees are showing their colors in your neighborhood? 

I wish I had taken a picture of the leaf rainbow my kids made.

Perhaps you could share a picture of your nature art.

What are your thoughts of God's amazing creation? Perhaps you would like to  share those with your pictures.