Niki Anderson ~ Author & Speaker

     I'm usually in the PINK. Only occasionally am I feelin’ GRAY.  But lately I've been thinkin' GREEN.

     What images does the color green bring to mind?

       A litre of Mountain Dew, the light that signals ‘go,’ a dollar bill, envy, inexperience, jade, Ireland, or the first sprout of spring?

     When I asked Myles, my cat, he answered with one word: “catnip.”

     But for us two-footed, globally responsible folks, thinking green means preserving the earth. Sure, I recycle aluminum, plastic, and glass. I use alternative shopping bags and fit my lamps with CFLs. But I’m not, however, pitching an environmental topic today.          

     Out of curiosty, I searched the Bible for the word green and here's what I found. Check out these seven references from Genesis to Revelation.

• “I give every green plants for food.” Genesis 1:30

• The righteous “will bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” Psalm 92:14

• The tree planted by a river doesn’t fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. Jeremiah 17:8

• The beloved to the lover spoke, “our bed is green.” Song of Solomon 1:16 KJV

• Before feeding the five thousand, Jesus told the disciples to ask the crowds to “sit down…on the green grass.” Mark 6:39

• Jesus’ said to the women following him as he carried the cross, “For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Luke 23:31

• In John's vision, an angel dispensed God’s judgment and “all the green grass was burned up.” Revelation 8:7

     Green symbolizes a variety of things in these verses: color, freshness, vitality, livelihood, readiness, comfort, peace, and favorable times.

     But my favorite green passage is the song composed by David, son of Jesse.

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.”

Psalm 23:1-3

     Recently, I've found reprieve in green pastures.

     When competing demands pull me every which way and I struggle to decide, or am fretful with anxiety, distracted by confusion, and suppose that more depends on me than on God, the Shepherd bids me to lie down in pastures of rest.

     Perhaps, like me, you need a break. God doesn’t need your service at the cost of your peace. Available in green pastures is the peacefulness of rest beside the quiet waters of the Shepherd's presence.

About Cats page: Topic this month is Petsitters

Upcoming Booksignings at:

Sat. Nov. 21, Tinman Art Gallery, 811 W. Garland, Spokane, 1:00 pm (View the extraordinary cat sculptures by Rhea Giffin and Virginia Carter)

Fri., Dec. 4, Hastings Book & Video, E. 29th Ave., 3 to 8:00 pm

Whiskers, Wit, and Wisdom is available as a download to your Kindle or Sony Reader at Amazon.com