Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, November 24, 2023
A little over a week ago on one of Shelley’s and my after-breakfast walks, I noticed this bright Japanese maple leaf. Its color was eye-catching, but as I raised my smartphone, I shifted my position so the leaf was backed by the shadow of the tree beyond it. The contrast caused the leaf’s color to really “pop” in a way it hadn’t before.
Isn’t that often the way in life? I recently went through an unpleasant bout featuring a good-sized kidney stone, and once a CT scan showed that I was free of it, I immediately felt a lot better. If I hadn’t experienced the pain, I might not have treasured the recuperation as much.
The Bible has a lot to say about the difficult subject of suffering, and one of Scripture’s prominent themes is how joy emerges in life’s darkest moments. The link below contains many Bible texts which will answer some tough questions.