Opinion
Discovering the Orange in your life
The vibrant colours of autumn have been inspiring regular contributor Jane Walters to focus on the positive.
I’ve never been a fan of Hallowe’en and am always glad when the spooky merchandise disappears from shop shelves and is replaced by reminders that we are soon to welcome the Light of the World in the birth of Jesus.
However, this year, I must admit to having not a change of heart exactly, but a shift in my perspective. It’s coupled – oddly, I know – with the awareness that I love the colour orange. It’s become a colour that puts a smile on my face, meaning I’ve seen all those pumpkin carved lanterns on doorsteps in a slightly different way.
There’s no denying we’re living in turbulent times: a global pandemic, war involving so-called superpowers, climate change, the cost-of-living crisis. Major, major stuff. In fact, I stopped watching the news months ago when I realised that not just the “facts” but the doom-laden way the media portray the situation were dipping my mood and fuelling my anxiety.
Into that context came the discovery of the colour orange and its reminder that life is to be enjoyed. Along with that revelation, I’ve been relishing the pleasure of watching comedy films, of laughing with friends over silly things. I’ve even abandoned my usual writing genre and begun working on a comedy-themed novel.
In short, I stopped looking at the “black” and focussed on the “orange”; stopping listening to the tales of gloom and looking for what we might call the fire and the life. I’m choosing to ignore the pull of the dark slide into winter and marinating myself in autumn - after all, we don’t have to walk far at this time of year to see those rich colours in the trees around us and feel uplifted at their vibrancy.
If it seems superficial, that I’m doing a “mind over matter” job, or missing a point, I might have once agreed with you. But the Bible wasn’t wrong when it says, ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10). God has built into creation things that give joy and has created us with the capacity to receive them.
In my own experience, I have found that allowing the vitality of Jesus to do its work in me releases me from the burden of carrying things that are too heavy for me to bear; and that keeping my eyes on Him instead of what’s going on around me keeps me peaceful.
And that’s something we can all do in every season.
The image is courtesy of pixabay.com
Jane Walters, formerly Clamp, is the author of Too Soon, a mother’s journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and a regular contributor to Premier Radio and UCB. She is also vice-chair of the Association of Christian Writers. Jane leads creative writing retreats and is a popular speaker locally and further afield. Visit: janewyattwalters.com
The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive debate between website users.