Streams of Comfort

A sparrow perched on the windowsill looks back at me,
And before I could process what I was doing,
I found myself taking small steps towards it.
And as I got closer, I could see it had something green in its beak.
The green object slowly began to take form with each step, until it became an olive branch.
I slowly reached out my hand towards the branch,
And the sparrow dropped it into my outstretched hand.
“What is this for”? I asked,
As if the bird could comprehend my words.
Still, in response to my question, it cocked its head to the side.
Peering at me inquisitively,
As if to say, “You requested me to get this for you”.
I cannot remember ever seeing a bird at this windowsill.
The only frequent visitor that came to this window was the cool breeze,
And unlike this bird, it always forced itself in,
Whether I welcomed it or not.
I turned the olive branch over in my hand and studied it,
I gazed at the rich brownness of the branch,
The bright green of its leaves,
And the vibrant reddish-purple of the olives nestled within the leaves.
“This reddish-purple will eventually become the darkest of blacks”,
I muttered to myself as I analyzed the colors of the olives,
“It would have been better if they were still green”,
As I preferred olives that were not quite as ripe as these.
And as I spoke those words, clarity came to my mind,
“The olive is the sweetest when it is the darkest”, I whispered in realization.
I felt the frustration slowly begin to recede from its home,
And dissipate within the pit of my stomach.
I now understood the radiant morning I wanted to paint,
Its texture and detail, both its light and dark.
I looked back up at the sparrow and smiled,
Its gaze appeared to now be one of approval,
And I could have sworn that it smiled back at me,
Right before it flew off into the morning it came from.
I look back at the wall, and stare once again at the dark olive I had painted,
It had once been green, red and blue, and now it was black,
It was completely ripe and ready to consume,
Ready to fade into the sunrise like the night does.
“I need to go find the sunrise”, I said to myself,
As I gathered my paint bottles and put them away.
I knew that I could not paint it,
Since I was the ripe olive and dark night waiting for the sunrise,
But I planned to wait by looking for it.
“Maybe I can follow where the sparrow went”, I pondered,
As I went to the sink and washed the paint from my paint brushes, hands, and feet.
And when the room had become still, and I was ready to depart,
I heard a voice from beyond the open window call my name.
At the sound of my name, I rushed to look out the window,
Resting my small hands on the windowsill,
I looked at my hands in surprise,
Had they always been this small?
The same voice called my name again,
And there was something oddly familiar about it,
As if it was something I had once known, but now had long forgotten.
And when the voice called the third time, I remembered who it belonged to,
It had been a while since I had heard his voice today, but it was still recognizable.
“Come”, he called, “It’s time for us to go home”,
I had forgotten we were only staying here temporarily,
Until he finished his work tending to the massive gardens that covered these grounds.
The owner of this building had allowed me to paint in this room as it was no longer in use,
After they saw I had nothing to pass the time with as my Father completed his work.
“Coming”, I called back,
And I rushed out the room to join him outside.
When I reached him he laughed, “It took you long enough”,
As he reached for my hand.
My eyes widened when I noticed the sparrow sitting on his shoulder.
The sparrow gave me the same look as it did in the room, its head cocked to the side,
As if to say, “It took you long enough to notice me”.
And I let out a laugh, a beautiful sound that came from deep within my stomach,
And I took his hand, the hand of the sunrise, heading home and letting my work fade behind me.

End of Part 2

This post concludes my short story “These Colors Can’t Satisfy Me”. As the child painting in this story learns to look for the sunrise to obtain peace and rest, I pray that you look to Jesus to satisfy the longings of your soul.