It was cold. And gray. And bleak.
I sat at my window looking out over the frozen lake. All of the trees had lost their leaves. There were a few patches of snow on the ground.
Grey, white and brown as far as I could see.
How depressing, I thought.
A bright red cardinal flew up into the tree closest to the window. It sat there for a few moments, fidgeting, taking in the landscape.
Must be depressed too, I thought.
Then suddenly the little bird began to sing. And sing. And sing.
I sat mesmerized. What incredible beauty from such a small creation.
And as that little cardinal continued to sing, I looked across the frozen lake. I noticed something strangely beautiful about the swirls and brushstrokes in the ice.
Then I realized the gray sky was not just gray, but multiple shades of gray constantly changing shapes with an occasional streak of light.
And the trees; the leafless trees. I’d never noticed before but all the branches point upwards as if to raise their arms as one great congregation.
One little cardinal. One little song changed the world that day.
Or maybe I was the one that changed.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your old heart of stone and give you a new heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and help you to keep my laws.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27
