A New Way To Look At A Sunset

 

Sometime in April, a beautiful flower, the color of a brilliant sunset, begins springing up out of the ground. Having no idea what its actual name is, I decided, a couple of years ago, to name it "Sunset Burst."

The other day, I was looking out the window and enjoying the pop of bright color that this unusual wildflower provides in our front yard meadow, and began contemplating the symbolism of the sunset.  In terms of life stages, most people consider a sunset to represent the last years of one's life.  The end of something. 

And not with a happy connotation. Many people, fearing death, add dread to the sorrow when occasion has them facing this ubiquitous life metaphor. 

But as I was thinking about it, I wondered: does a sunset, so full of glory in its show of color and sunbeams radiating low in the sky, have to stand for something as morbid as the end of life? .

Now, if you're a believer, you may consider the end of life on earth as the beginning of a much better life in a much better place. While that's good and true, it's not where my mind went as I gazed upon that flower. 

My first thought was of the brilliant colors, of both an actual sunset, and of the flower which I've named after it. Just like a sunrise, a sunset glows with color, a display which is multiplied when there are clouds present. I love bright colors. The sight of brightly-colored objects awakens my soul, and sparks joy inside of me.

Some people prefer the dull tones of various shades of brown, or of a black-and-white scheme. That's fine. To each his or her own. But such people better prepare themselves, because I have yet to read or hear a testimony of someone who visited heaven who did not mention fields of flowers which painted the landscape with all colors of the rainbow, and more brilliant and more beautiful than anything that can be found on earth.

And that makes total sense. Light ultimately comes from our heavenly Father, and what is light but all the colors of the rainbow, hidden inside a yellowish-white shaft? 

Light also signifies, the world over, an end to darkness and a revelation of truth. .It's a beginning. 

Just like a sunset. A sunset may be the literal end to a day, but it's also a beginning.  

A beginning of a time to rest and relax. 

A beginning to several hours of stillness and peace.

A beginning, even, to a brand new day. It signals the end of this day, and all of its worries and regrets and mistakes and frustration.  It provides a cushion during which you can ease away from all the negativity, and set the intention to create more positivity the next day. 

So the next time you glimpse a sunset, remember that the age-old metaphor doesn't have to apply. 

Remember that a sunset, with all its delicious shades of color, can indicate a fresh start to life,  a new beginning.

Peace to you, and may blessing abound in every area of your life.

Celebrate This Time Of Renewal...

 

As I write these words, spring is in full swing where I live. Many of our spring plants are even going to seed now. Some of the bird species that make a brief stop here on their way to more northern climates have already come and gone.

The bumblebees, carpenter bees, and honeybees are out in droves, sipping from the delectable nectar from all the blooms.

If you live up north, spring may be just beginning. Wildflowers are just now beginning to sprout out of the ground, or to bud. The ground is slowly turning from a dull brown to a brilliant ardent color. And the landscape is turning from gray to various shades of green as leaves begin to bud and grow.

Likely as not, spring rains have begun to fall, washing the sky and bringing a fresh, clean scent to the air. Insects are beginning to hum and buzz. Frogs have begun calling out ot potential mates.

Wherever you live...whatever climate you live in...I want to encourage you to get outside and immerse yourself in the new life.

Get off your phone, step away from Netflix, and gift yourself the experience of the beautiful reality of God's creation, of nature.

And not just nature, but nature as it awakens from the long sleep of winter.

Likely as not, you, too, have been dormant during the past several months. Perhaps you've been sheltering from the cold. Perhaps, like me, you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and so have had to trudge through the annual depression that sets in when the sun is not as bright, and low-hanging clouds persist above you, day after day.

As I write these words, winter is over. Temperatures are rising, the sun is bright. And the landscape is exploding with color, beckoning you to join with it, to experience spring in all its splendor. 

And I encourage you to obey the call. Spring reminds us that life continues on, and that, like the earth renews itself every year, you can renew yourself. You can make new choices. better choices, perhaps, than you made last year.

Moreover, nature in springtime calls us back to simplicity, to a slower way of life.

Perhaps the best reason to get out and enjoy spring? There's no better therapy than an outdoor walk on a beautiful day. There's no easier way to drop your worries and regrets, and to completely immerse yourself in the present moment. 

Peace to you, and may blessing abound in every area of your life.