I remember once I was walking along a road on a hill, that overlooked LA. There were some people painting the landscape. One of the first guys I saw, made a painting of LA that was so dreary. He painted smog, graffiti and chain link fences with barbed wire. It looked like the most dangerous, ugly city I’d ever seen. The next guy portrayed LA as the most beautiful, golden city ever. It was gorgeous: palm trees, sun and beautiful cars. Both landscapes were real, but they were experienced differently. It’s not that the guy with the ugly painting didn’t see the beautiful parts. Or that the guy with the beautiful painting didn’t see the ugly parts. Both artists made a  decision on what they wanted to put on their canvas. They chose to focus on one thing over the other. What can we learn from this? You know, you shouldn’t ignore what’s bad in your life. You absolutely shouldn’t. In some ways, you can’t have real light without a little darkness. But don’t focus on the darkness, focus on the light. Keep hope alive. Believe in what the scripture says: You are destined, and you are favored. Amen?