"I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write." ~St. Augustine

Monday, November 8, 2010

Seeing Color

We are studying the human body in our home school lessons this term. Last week, in our science lesson, I was struck a new with the fact that the eye needs light in order to distinguish, discern or "see" color. Try it. You can hold a handful of crayons in your hand in a dark room, and while detecting the crayons or "seeing" them... your eye can not distinguish their colors. Essentially in the dark, or a darkened state, you "see" in black, white and shades of grey.

This morning I went for a prayer walk and the grass was a brilliant, bright green color. The "color" of the grass is always there. The chlorophyll in the plants and grass make this a reality. Grass is indeed green. But, when the sun is shining brightly, the green of the grass is "greener"... or appears greener, actually. And, when it is dark, and the sun is hidden or shining elsewhere on the earth... the grass looks black or a shade of grey.

The sun's shining doesn't make the green appear, it is there... but the sun's light allows us to see it. The sun's shining show forth the reality. And the color we see in other objects is contingent on the light that shines on them, reflecting into our eyes and allowing our retina to "detect" the color. Your retina is full of cones and rods. The cones are programmed to distinguish color and the rods black and white. At night only your rods are working and your cones are incapacitated by the lack of light. (Okay... enough of the science explanation!! Sorry.)

But, I while I was walking and praying... I was struck again that my eye was able to see this brilliance of color... blues, greens, and browns... simply because the sun was shining. And, I began to pray.

I began to ask that spiritual eyes and hearts of my loved ones would be illuminated by the Giver and Creator of light. I asked that the "cones" of their hearts would be capable to see color.

Some of my friends, my family and neighbours do not have the light of God living in them and therefore only see the black and white of life around them. These ones need the light of God. He is light! They need the light of God to shine brightly in them, to live as light inside them. They need light to awaken their ability to detect the color of life, the truth, and the reality of the world around them that they are missing.

Our Father is present everywhere. He is alive and He is active. He offers love, deep love. He offers joy, lasting joy. He offers peace and patience. He offers kindness and gentleness. This is the "color" He offers us each day. We need to sit in His light, bask in His Word, and open our hearts and eyes to His brilliance that can bring true "seeing".

Father open the spiritual eyes of my friends, my family and my neighbours. May they see you as You really are! Father open the eyes of my heart! Father, teach me to see You more... to see the variety of colors that are you!! May I see You as You really are! We need Your light to shine!