Saturday morning I was at Resurrection Cemetery for a burial. As I looked out from under the tent, I could see trees, bushes, lawn, and hedges of countless shades of green. After what seemed to be a long gray winter, the sight was most welcomed.

            This time of year produces fresh and tender leaves on most plants. The color green is in itself refreshing. In the setting of a cemetery, it seemed to be a reminder God is always about newness of life.

            A quick search with Google yielded at least sixty different shades of green. Many names of green come from plants like asparagus, mint, and olive. Others like emerald, mantis, and sea green also have origins in nature. Together they make a rich bouquet of bright and invigorating colors.

            It would be sad if life were all one shade. God provides endless variety to stimulate our eyes and enliven our spirits. The day lily does not tell the rose bush to be green in the same way as it is. Nor does the hemlock demand that all conifers look alike.

            The color green provides incredible beauty once one learns to appreciate variety. Would that people could learn the same lesson about diversity.  

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” 

Matthew 5:44-45