Since the first day we arrived at our homestead I have been captivated by this purple tree that is across the street from us. In a this tiny town in the bush of Africa the colors of red and brown soil mixed with a variety of green bushes and plants are about the extend of diversity you see. However, as you walk down the hill back to our hut you can’t help but notice this huge brilliant purple tree woven in the dry and desolate landscape. It stands out, demands your attention and awe. Its a sign of beauty and hope in a town running low on money, energy, and life. When I see this tree I see that beauty can be found around every corner, we just need to look for it. Not only must we look for it-but we must create it. Nature has always been a way the Lord speaks to me, and this purple tree is proof of that. As crazy as it sounds, this tree inspires me. I want to be a purple tree in the world. I want to stand out amidst the ordinaries of this world. When I see this tree, I see God’s face and am consumed with his love. I want to be like this tree in the same way that when people see me they cant help but see God and his extraordinary love. After all, that is what God has called us to be as Christians. God wants us to be purple tree people. People who demand attention, who point others to God’s love. He longs for us to be the splash of color in a black and white world. Our work here thus far in Africa, I believe, has been comparable to the work of an artist. We started with a grey and colorless canvas, and through our love and passion for these people and God we have danced colored up and down the streets. We have painted lines of colors on forgotten children’s faces, on the hearts of the lonely, and broken on discouraged hospital patients, and brought life to a tiny town in need of a new paint job. There is power in color. The dictionary defines color as “the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light.” Wow. Talk about a revelation. Do you get it? WE ARE COLOR! WE are the objects that possess this special property. This property WE possess can produce sensations on the eyes of others around us. How? By the way WE reflect or emit light. This light…its GOD. It’s His peace, His joy, His grace, His unfailing love. We can add color to peoples lives simply by the way we emit HIS light…..by being purple tree people. AMEN!
