When my siblings and I were little, my parents would often take us up to the hill behind our house to watch the sunset over the rolling hills. They would talk to us about how the colors in the sky were God’s paint strokes. That has always stuck with me. God created the whole world and so much of it is absolutely spell-binding, but I think the colors in the sky at sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful to ponder Him crafting because they actually do look like He took a paintbrush to the sky.
A couple weeks ago, I went up the back hill and saw this glorious sunset. I was blown away. It stretched across half the horizon and as it changed over the minutes it only became more and more captivating. I took lots of pictures, knowing I’d have to paint it later. Being up there feeling the cool moss on my bare feet, the crisp wind sweeping through my hair, the evening birds singing songs of freedom, and the rich colors stretching across the whole sky, I was reminded yet again that God’s work is deeply, deeply good.
The next day when I got on social media, I scrolled to be met almost exclusively by endless sunset pictures from people who live in all different places. That sunset hadn’t just been gorgeous where I was–people across the country had seen something breathtaking. Every sunset picture was completely different but each was just as amazing. I was blown away by that. We’d all been looking up at the sky at the same time, standing in awe at the painting spread out around us, but each person had gotten a unique painting. The blessing was poured out in astounding glory for each person but each person was given a unique glimpse of it.
That truth would have blown my mind if it just stayed in that sunset. But it speaks of God’s graces in the rest of life, too. His graces are the same in that they always come from His heart. But He crafts them to uniquely meet each person’s heart and needs and wounds and passions and challenges. And that is a pretty incredible thing.
