This, you may say, is a mysterious title to start the New Year of 2017 off! I was on a walk yesterday and started to think about this colour grey and my family connections.

Here is England, we get quite a few grey days with little sun but really one only has to go up in a plane to discover that the sun is always shining above the clouds. Maybe we British people are coloured by the greyness of our environment and forget to realise that the sun is always here. Maybe this accounts for the general dullness and pessimism of the average British person. We reflect what we are in!

However, the Son of God is just like the sunshine. He may seem distant but is close at hand and seeing that he made colours (hence the rainbow, but with no greyness in it!) and made our eyes to see colour, we can be sure that He is and wants to be more involved in all the grey areas of our lives.

Donkeys are grey, yet they’re good at carrying baggage; elephants are grey and have those unique trunks; squirrels are grey and are good at collecting nuts; and our homes can have grey roofs which protect us from the rain. Greyness can indicate drabness but when one sees the purpose of the grey things, they can become brighter in our thinking. So, we have a purpose even if our lives appear or feel grey. We each have a unique part to play in the greyness of our world so that we can see the world in technicolour and see each individual as a valuable diamond glinting in the sun.

My mother’s side of the family bear the name ‘Gray’. I have several cousins who bear this name and their offspring, too. Some live in Suffolk (England) and some live in France but their name is carried with them. So, our names, although appearing ordinary or ‘grey’ have a huge significance. God’s name is like a diamond with its many faceted sides – that’s why our project is called ‘Diamond Books’ so that we can show off the various characteristics of the God who made us and called us each by name.

The Bible says that all families are known to God so each surname is important. More importantly with God as our Father we can inherit his DNA. The apostle Paul writes “…I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” (Ephesians 3:15). It’s simple to come to our Father and recognise that we are His children as we come in obeisance and repentance knowing that Father God can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or think (see Ephesians 3:20-21). With God as our Father, no child need be bereft as they and we call on Him to fulfil every need of ours. Good fathers do their utmost to help their children – but our heavenly Father can do even beyond the natural.