Last week I was taking a walk around our eaten-almost-to-the-ground pasture, mostly barren and dry, when this patch of yellow caught my eye.
Beauty in the middle of barrenness!
Closeby were thistles.
I ran back to the house to get my camera.
Not so much to snap a shot of this...
...or this...
Of course, we have a choice what we focus on, what we take pictures of, what we think about.
Will we choose to take pictures of thistles, and cowpies,
or...
the purple thistledown?
The truth is, the thistles and cowpies were in very close proximity to the patch of bright, sunny yellow flowers.
The truth is, the beautiful, soft purple thistledown was
in the very center of the thistle plant.
Sometimes the greatest beauty is in the middle of the greatest squalor.
The choice was mine what I looked at, what I took a picture of, what I delighted in.
Do I choose joy or negativity?
Do I choose joy even in the middle of negativity?
Do I choose to rejoice in God and trust Him even when
the vice-president is ramming Sen. Ryan in the debate
or when I am shivering and shaking in the bitter cold of the last cider pressing,
or when Hannah has me up four times in one night,
and then the next night the stove starts beeping like a fire alarm at 2:10 in the morning
or when my schedule is all messed up
or I am in pain
or someone I love makes choices I don't agree with?
Choose the thistledown!
Choose joy! "The joy of the Lord is your strength!"
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