Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
I recently had the opportunity to visit Yosemite National Park, east of California’s Bay Area, nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. While we spent our days exploring the park, at night we stayed about 60 miles away in the small town of Ahwahnee, California.
Our accommodations sat in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at roughly 2,500 feet in elevation. The secluded setting made it an ideal place for birdwatching.
One morning, I spotted and photographed a colorful California Scrub-jay. Curious to learn more, I looked up a few facts about the bird and came across this description: “They’re essentially the bird equivalent of a clever neighborhood troublemaker: loud, curious, opportunistic, and almost always up to something.”
I also learned that scrub-jays are known for collecting and storing acorns, which made perfect sense given the number of oak trees nearby. Interestingly, the bird in this photograph wasn’t perched in an oak tree. Instead, it chose a Paperbark Maple, a tree known for its distinctive cinnamon-red bark that peels away in thin curls, almost like strips of paper.
When I saw the scrub-jay, its vibrant blue feathers illuminated by the morning light against the deep red bark, I was immediately struck by the contrast. The darker background made the bird stand out in a way it might not have in bright sunlight. At the same time, the rich color and texture of the bark became even more noticeable because of the brilliant blue perched among its branches.
It reminded me that much of God’s beauty is revealed through contrast.
God created each of us with different gifts, personalities, experiences, and perspectives. Those differences are not accidents. Like the blue bird and the red bark, our uniqueness often serves to highlight the beauty of others while collectively pointing back to the Creator. Together, we reveal something greater than we could on our own.
In photography, contrast is one of the elements that makes an image compelling. It catches our attention and draws us in. Perhaps that same principle applies to our lives. The way God works through His people should create a contrast with the world around us, one that causes others to take notice and wonder what makes us different.
Maybe our calling isn’t to blend in, but to stand apart in a way that reflects His love, grace, and truth.