My daughter Chloe loves bright colors. She loves orange and she loves yellow.
One morning I watched her rummage through her craft bin, sifting through an assortment of paper until she found one that was the perfect shade of orange. She placed the paper on the table and turned her attention to a cup of crayons. Her finger grazed the options until she plucked out the brightest yellow. Then the creation began. When she finished her masterpiece, she looked up and said, “See, Dad?”
I squinted at the picture and turned it every which-a-way. Then I saw it: a glowing yellow sunshine barely visible against the brilliant orange backdrop. It was beautiful.
My wife walked into the room. She picked up the picture, studied it, and then reached down and placed a black piece of paper in front of Chloe and said, “Why don’t you try this?” When Chloe finished, the yellow sunshine leapt from the page because of the stark contrast between the dark background and the bright subject of the sun.
Joy is beautiful all the time. On our best days, we should rejoice, and joy will blend with the goodness of the moment in a way that draws our eye to study until we find all the thoughtful details of God’s creativity. On our worst days, we should rejoice, and joy will explode all the more against the darkness in a way that is more striking than ever.
During Advent, we do our best to see clearly the picture of the birth story. We imagine Joseph and Mary and the turmoil around them. It was undoubtedly a brutal journey, but surely there was great joy in the midst of it all.
This is life as a follower of Jesus: a new backdrop each day but the same calling. Rejoice!
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and DeduloPhotos.)
(For more devotions, visit us at www.christiandevotions.us.)
Barrett Freeman is a pastor in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He has travelled across the state as a speaker for a number of colleges and organizations and is known for a strong theological base and humorous tone. He has written church curricula as well as devotionals for all ages. Because of his passion for Christ in every day life, Barrett sees the church as a living organism, which is evident in his writing.