The Advent Time

In shades of black on gray the forest seems to be sinking into a distant mist

As the colors of fall have now faded and gone somewhere to hide till spring

Painted against a dirty cotton colored sky, this pallete is deliberately disquieting

Trained to see color, my eyes stain to find any hint of it, to no avail

Without color my thoughts do not soar to lofty places of wonder

Without color my thoughts do not wander upward and outward

Instead all thought is deflected by the barrenness back deeply into my soul

Where I am forced to consider what’s inside, what are things of my heart, my mind, my will

Is this God’s way of helping me refocus inward, of helping me examine my interior self

In this season of Advent, of preparation, of anticipation, of looking inward at my life

Is this God’s way of helping me search for inner change, of change of heart

Like John crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord

This season of fall ending and early winter’s quickening

I prepare my heart, my inmost being for His coming

By emptying out all that obscures and opening up to the wonder that is His will

Help me in this Advent season to remove all that obscures my heart