Yesterday was a beautiful warm sunny day. It seems unusual to say that about a day in early February. This is the middle of winter! We had an exceptionally cold month of January, so this week has been a welcome change.

As I walked around outside, I could see that there were some shades of green showing up. I guess I think of green as the color of spring, when the leaves come out on the trees. However, most of the new growth I was seeing was on or near the ground.

I started to notice other colors, and then I began to seek for them as I took pictures. Some were more outstanding, as the yellow of the dandelion and the crocus. But I also saw touches of yellow on the branch with the lichen growth. There were tiny white flowers among the greenery, and red on the new buds of the snowball bush. The lichen was silver with shades of blue.

When I looked back at the pictures, I also saw the different shades of brown. The brown came from the leaves—not new fresh leaves but dead fallen ones. The one picture of the lichen on the rocks spoke of death. Even though the rocks have some pretty colors, there is no life in them.

What this spoke to me is that life and death exist together—at the same time, in the same place. We experience death in many ways other than the changing of the seasons. The most difficult is the passing of a close loved one. The loss of a relative, friend, acquaintance, or someone we admire can also be painful. The death of a pet touches our hearts as well. Other forms of loss could be that from hurricanes and fires as we have seen lately. These can lead to loss of hope or even the death of a dream.

Death is a part of life, but we don’t have to dwell on the images or hurts that we experience. The beauty of the colors of yellow and green is heightened against the brown of the leaves. So is the silver of the lichen (which is alive). In the picture of what appears to be a dead tree, we see the reds of the nandina and the holly berries. But there is life in that tree that will show itself in a few weeks.

In the same way we may see pictures of Jesus on the cross. We know He died and was buried. But the good news is that He rose again and is alive forevermore. So in spite of the death we see day to day, we can also have the hope of life now and for eternity through faith in Him.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV)

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,