Color Changing Faith

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe,
for changing light, reminding me that what I see
is both an object, and the light that shines on it.

Blessed are You for trees
green at midday, black at dusk;
for mountains like theater backdrops—
textureless gray, lively blues and browns,
white, or black—a daily show.

Blessed are You for shadows
dividing our world into darks and lights,
for rain that paints everything shiny,
and sun that re-paints with a matte finish.

Blessed are You for shifting colors,
reminding us that what we see—
of You and ourselves, scripture and stories,
human words and action—
changes with the light, allowing nuance
or even black and white.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe,
for a physical world of changing appearances,
allowing us to release the need
for a spiritual world of unchanging appearance,
to embrace shadows
or the shock of seeing the same thing
in a quite different color,
the beauty of unfolding life.