Radiantly Red

This week as I have been driving to work, I have noticed a gift from God to my heart.  In case you haven't caught on yet, I love the beauty of God's creation. 

One of the routes I can take to work, includes a road my daughter affectionately calls the road in the middle of nowhere, because pretty much that is what it is.  I have encountered deer, wild turkeys, and even had to stop for a goat this past spring.  One of the things I love about this road is all the beautiful trees that line a large section of it. 

Where I live, in the fall, the trees don't seem to change colour as brilliantly as they did where I grew up.  I miss the crisp fall colours.  Although it is a little early for the leaves to be changing, there is one tree on this road, and only one tree that has its leaves changing colour already.  Every other tree on this road remains green, but this one is changing into a radiant red.  Of all the fall colours, red has always been my favourite.

I did a little research on why leaves change colours.  I always thought it was the cold weather that caused the leaves to change, but it seems that the lack of light has more to do with it than the temperature. Darkness, it seems has a greater impact than anything else. What is true in nature also seems to be true in life.  The dark times we experience can change us.

The past couple of months, I have experienced times of my own personal darkness.  I have had more than my fair share of tears as I prepared to say goodbye to my daughter, and this week actually said goodbye as she left on her new journey in life.

What I choose to do with the darkness impacts the way I experience life.  I can allow it to have no effect whatsoever in my life.  I can choose to ignore the pain, pretend it doesn't exist, and allow it to eat me alive.  Year after year I can choose for it not to change me, but ultimately what will happen is, that pain, that darkness will resurface time and again until I deal with it. 

Or, right now,  I can allow that pain to do its work in my life. I can deal with what I am facing, permit myself to feel the pain, and allow it to mould me into who God wants me to be. 

James1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." 

Romans 5:3-5a says, "...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us..."

The times of darkness that we face in our lives, are the times God wants to use to create something beautiful out of us.  When we allow Him to do His work in us; when we trust Him and His ways, we will see a beauty that will shine like no other.  Change isn't always comfortable, as a matter of fact, quite often change is difficult,  but the end result makes it worth it.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."

As I go through the darkness, it is my heart's desire to be changed by God.  I desire for Him to use the darkness I face, to make me more like the woman He wants me to be.

God, please use this time to shape me and to make me shimmer Radiantly Red!