Trees of Green

This time of year, those of you in the UK you may be forgiven for feeling a little depressed. Days are short and dark and the rainy, grey, cold days can make us feel 'doomy' and 'gloomy'. Our instinctive reaction to these wintry days is not always to find the positive and beautiful things that the sunnier, summer months bring to the forefront of our observations.

But on closer inspection in these wintry months, the first glance is not all doom and gloom. At Crag House Farm, we are surrounded by beauty the whole year around, including these grey days. The early mornings often bring the most wonderful sunrises. The colours spread across the skies with magnificent declarations of 'how wonderful and awesome is the God who made all of this'. The frosty days expose the beautiful shapes and landscapes around, bringing the barest of trees to life, and reflecting the golden sunlight on ponds and streams with dazzling effect.

The ease with which we can fail to see the wonders and beauties of God in our wintry window on creation, reminds me of something quite simple.

We care for some extremely damaged people. Many have physical and mental scars that cause people to look at them from a distance with disapproval. Many are vulnerable, some have psychological or mental illnesses that cause anti-social behavior, resulting in their rejection, abuse and neglect by others. They are isolated by people who have concluded that those cared for by Caring For Life do not fit into the mould of a 'normal' person.

What a tragically mistaken impression that would be. As Christians we don't look at those we care for in such a way at all. They, like all of us, are very simply people! People made in the very image of the God who created them and who loves them. Indeed they do sometimes (well quite often!) have behaviour patterns that are different and may seem odd, but to our heavenly Father, they are His children, people He has created to be able to express their own distinct ways, thoughts, feelings and emotions. People He has made who are able to receive His love.

We are grateful that God is enabling us to work alongside so many vulnerable people and we are privileged to call them our friends. There are many people who are lost and in desperate need of love and care, people who need to know they are created in God's image and to be treated with dignity and self-respect, as God first intended.

Please help us to share God's love with those who others have rejected. Help us and support this work, so that we will be able to help change people's first impressions of what they see when looking at those who society deems 'not the norm'.

Please help us to share the love of Jesus.

	I See Trees of Green *by Tim Parkinson* << previous page
	This time of year, those of you in the UK you may be forgiven for feeling a little depressed. Days are short and dark and the rainy, grey, cold days can make us feel 'doomy' and 'gloomy'. Our instinctive reaction to these wintry days is not always to find the positive and beautiful things that the sunnier, summer months bring to the forefront of our observations. But on closer inspection in these wintry months, the first glance is not all doom and gloom. At Crag House Farm, we are surrounded by beauty the whole year around, including these grey days. The early mornings often bring the most wonderful sunrises. The colours spread across the skies with magnificent declarations of 'how wonderful and awesome is the God who made all of this'. The frosty days expose the beautiful shapes and landscapes around, bringing the barest of trees to life, and reflecting the golden sunlight on ponds and streams with dazzling effect. The ease with which we can fail to see the wonders and beauties of God in our wintry window on creation, reminds me of something quite simple. We care for some extremely damaged people. Many have physical and mental scars that cause people to look at them from a distance with disapproval. Many are vulnerable, some have psychological or mental illnesses that cause anti-social behavior, resulting in their rejection, abuse and neglect by others. They are isolated by people who have concluded that those cared for by Caring For Life do not fit into the mould of a 'normal' person. What a tragically mistaken impression that would be. As Christians we don't look at those we care for in such a way at all. They, like all of us, are very simply people! People made in the very image of the God who created them and who loves them. Indeed they do sometimes (well quite often!) have behaviour patterns that are different and may seem odd, but to our heavenly Father, they are His children, people He has created to be able to express their own distinct ways, thoughts, feelings and emotions. People He has made who are able to receive His love. We are grateful that God is enabling us to work alongside so many vulnerable people and we are privileged to call them our friends. There are many people who are lost and in desperate need of love and care, people who need to know they are created in God's image and to be treated with dignity and self-respect, as God first intended. Please help us to share God's love with those who others have rejected. Help us and support this work, so that we will be able to help change people's first impressions of what they see when looking at those who society deems 'not the norm'. Please help us to share the love of Jesus.

I See Trees of Green by Tim Parkinson << previous page

I See Trees of Green
by Tim Parkinson
<< previous page