ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER

I came across another box of watercolor paintings recently – surprise, surprise! Paul’s many years of creating art seem to pop up just when I think I’ve seen them all. What a special gift he’s left for me and others.

A city of blazing lights may cover all the ugliness of a darkened world,

The world that lies beneath the bridge of deception, hate, fear and addiction,

Under the hidden territory where sin abounds,

There, shrouded in the shadows, the real world dwells,

The cloak of evil captures those who would go there,

There is no light, no hope, no promises,

Only loneliness,

When sin overtakes the light, nothing can hide the darkness,

Nothing,

Yet, there is one light that never dies,

A light that lives in the hearts of those who believe,

The true Light of the world,

This light can extinguish the darkness,

Only this One dominating light,

Can swallow up eternal obfuscation,

Through which we can find our way,

Becoming light itself,

Just as a small ember grows and ignites everything in its path,

Don’t hide in the shadows,

Follow God’s Light.

With all that’s going on in the world today, I can’t help but think that darkness is on a fast track to covering the goodness that will eventually prevail. God is the light that created the world. He alone can fix it, but we have to be part of the solution. We can voice our opinions through peaceful protests. We can rethink the way we interact with people. We must be willing to start over. We can make a difference in little ways which will eventually turn into real change. We can turn off the anger and hate which seems to be part of the current dialogue. We can listen to each other. We can be slow to speak and when we do, the words we choose can make it matter. We can wait patiently for truth to come. We can rely on the One who wants only the best for us. We can learn to trust again through example. We can pray. We can stir the luminosity of patriotism and allow the light to grow. Even when it seems hard to endure, we can believe that God has this.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY! HELP ME TO SEE YOUR LIGHT AND BE A REFLECTION OF YOUR LOVE.