Blue Sky and Gratitude

"I Believe in You" was playing on Sirius radio. I was driving along looking at the colors of the sky, thinking about how to paint the sky colors in a landscape I’m working on for the Irving family. It’s called “Home Away from Home,” and it pictures the dad watching over his three young kids as they draw, at the foot of the Grand Tetons. The Irving family invested their vacation savings in camping equipment after losing all of their possessions—house, car, everything—in a fire last year. Two of them take art lessons in my home once a week. I love them!

When I think of people like the Irvings—Christians whose experiences have driven them deeply into God's arms—I feel so grateful to have them in my life. They've grown in ways most of us can't even begin to understand, and I'm richer for knowing them. I feel this same way about Gracia Burnham, who also came to mind at that moment. I thanked God for placing these friends in my path, for allowing me to get to know them.

Just then, I passed these three crosses. I was reminded of the thief who, through the One hanging next to him, received his all-important second chance at the last minute before he died…and this phrase immediately leapt to mind: “Yes. It’s very important who you hang out with.”

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