My
husband, Jerry, has always had a good fashion sense about him, but recently his
daughter, Mari, took issue with a color combination he wore.
She
observed his navy trousers and black shoes, and asked, “Why don’t you wear
brown shoes with those pants?”
“I
always wear black with navy,” he said.
“Well,”
she paused for effect, and then said dryly, “You look like a bruise.”
We’ve
laughed so much about this comment, and anytime one of us wears black with
blue, the inside joke in our family is that we look like a bruise.
The
truth is that sometimes we may not only look like a bruise, we may feel like
one as well.
Life
has a way of delivering punches that leave us with contusions on the heart.
In
fact, yesterday, I rather felt that way myself as I stepped outside onto the
patio for a little fresh air.
But,
I noticed around the lantana and verbena, a creature also black and blue
fluttered undisturbed by my presence.
Pipe Vine Swallowtail |
Not
a lepidopterist, I did a little research and believe the butterfly to be a Pipe Vine Swallowtail.
The
iridescent blue on its wings shimmered in the afternoon sun as I followed it
with my camera.
I
had to laugh as it occasionally buzzed me with its happy twittering.
When
I saw the images on the computer, the pictures astounded me. I am at best an
accidental photographer, so I couldn’t believe what I’d captured. The black and
blue Pipe Vine Swallowtail gave me joy.
When
we’re feeling all beaten down by circumstances, it’s hard to realize that God can bring joy. And that sometimes even bruises can be beautiful.
“But
it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our
sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises
we get healed” (Isaiah 53:5 The Message).
Through
the bruises of Jesus, we find our soul's cure. Through his suffering, we have life.
It's good to remember God
longs to give joy even when we’re bruised. And that he can use the black and blue in
our lives to minister marvelous joy to others.
These
things are mysteries, but glorious ones.
I’ll
be showing these Swallowtail pictures to Jerry. He’ll be happy to see that God thinks black
and blue go together, too.