I remember once I was walking along a road on a hill,
that overlooked LA. There were some people painting the landscape.
One of the
first guys I saw, made a painting of LA that was so dreary. He painted smog,
graffiti and chain link fences with barbed wire.
It looked like the most
dangerous, ugly city I’d ever seen. The next guy portrayed LA as the most
beautiful, golden city ever. It was gorgeous: palm trees, sun and
beautiful cars.
Both landscapes were real, but they were experienced
differently. It’s not that the guy with the ugly painting didn’t see the
beautiful parts.
Or that the guy with the beautiful painting didn’t see the
ugly parts. Both artists made a decision on what they wanted to put on
their canvas.
They chose to focus on one thing over the other. What can we
learn from this? You know, you shouldn’t ignore what’s bad in your life.
You
absolutely shouldn’t. In some ways, you can’t have real light without a little
darkness.
But don’t focus on the darkness, focus on the light. Keep hope
alive.
Believe in what the scripture says: You are destined, and you are
favored. Amen?