THE PAINTER HENRI MATISSE described color as magnificence. You don't have to be a painter to know what he means. Whether in a child's finger painting or on the canvas of a master, color can catch the eye and uplift the heart.
Green was the color on my mind recently. Surrounded by a serene landscape of emerald meadows, I thought of that beautiful word-painting that is the 23rd Psalm in the Bible. It starts: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures . . . ."
This psalm refreshes my spirit through the beautiful imagery of God as a guarding, guiding Shepherd, and of everyone as Her/His dear, innocent sheep. It reassures me that, even when things seem bleak, everyone must be tenderly, reliably cared for by all-powerful, divine Spirit, which is present everywhere.
