"Mom,
I picked these for you! I saved these right before Morgan ran over them with
the mower. Can you believe he was going to mow these down?!"
How many of us as
kids have picked these flowers from the lawn only to learn they are considered
weeds? But in the purest sense, here is
a child who grew up in a place where flowers were not abundant, seeing beauty
in weeds.
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| Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 |
When
my friend posted this story of her son on Facebook recently I knew God wanted
to tell us something with this child’s simple act. Can we learn the value of 1)
recognizing the beauty 2) seeing hidden beauty in the grass and 3) saving beautiful
things from destruction?
To recognize beauty, I think we need to have a shift in our eyesight. Americanized, standardized, cookie cutter
molds cannot be our staples any longer.
We have to look beyond traditional labels to see what He sees. Inner beauty and the worth of every person. No
longer can we look away when we see people that don’t look like us, or that is
in need. Instead, we pause and let God show us something new; this is our new
pattern.
"But
the LORD said to Samuel,
Do not look on his appearance or on the height of
his stature,
because I have rejected the one you noticed.
For the LORD sees not as man sees:
man looks on the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
You
might think seeing hidden beauty in the grass is the same as recognizing
beauty, but the difference is intent. Recognizing means beauty is presented to
you, seeing hidden beauty means you’re looking for it.
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|
“The grass withereth,
the flower fadeth:
but the word of God
shall stand for ever.”
Isaiah
40:8 |
When
you look for beauty God will be faithful to show you. The first step to looking in the right place
is seeking truth and beauty in His word.
Whether
He shows you something about loving your neighbor or how to treat your spouse,
the timing of His word will match the encounters planned for you. Each encounter is sure to teach us something
about ourselves, and God. Surely He will
also use it to build our faith.
The
trust built in the moments will sustain us in other moments ahead. And the
moments in which He uses us builds faith in those we encounter.
And
lastly we have the lesson,
saving beautiful things from destruction.
Do
you know if you search on the internet for ugly people you actually get photos
of several? Who decided what photos of what people made this list? Do we know
anything about these people or is the judgment all based on appearance?
“But
let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart
with
the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which
in God’s sight is very precious.”
1
Peter 3:4-6
Beauty is more than skin
deep. One interesting thing is that the love of another person will often
make us feel beautiful. When we have the love of a spouse or our family
member we will feel accepted and better about ourselves. When there is a
lack of love in our lives, we often feel alone and isolated and even depressed.
God
uses us to show His love. Whether in an encouraging word or a hug, we are his
instruments. It may be difficult at times to love someone that seems ugly to us
in appearance or action. It may also be difficult
when that person’s attitude seems more like a beast covered in thorns than
someone in need of a hug. That sort of
judgement is not for us to determine. That’s left to God. We are just asked by God to be willing to be
used.
Inner beauty is inside
each of us. We are all beautiful in God’s eyes as we are created in the
image of God. God doesn’t make junk. However, many people don’t
feel beautiful inside. We are often smothered by a lack of confidence and
even a lack of acceptance of other people. It is easy to compare
ourselves to others especially when we compare our outward appearance.
God’s word makes it clear that we are all beautiful to Him. Beauty isn’t
just reserved for models and Hollywood actors and actresses. You are
beautiful. Read the following scripture passages and let God heal you as
you come to the realization of how much God loves and values each of His
created beings.
"But
whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and
closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?Little
children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in action and truth. Matthew
25:40
Our
Prayer
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|
“He has made everything beautiful
in its time.
He has also set eternity in the
human heart;
yet no one can fathom what God has
done
from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
|
Lord, open my eyes to see
the beauty in every person. Let me see show
I can be used and let me respond to your word with actions and truth. Forgive me for the times I looked away because
I felt uncomfortable for a brief moment when all you wanted was my faith to be
built up and to use me or your glory so others would see you. I love you and I
too want beauty to be plucked from destruction as Jo Jo pulled the weeds from
the fate of the mower. I give you my life today and ask you to prepare for me encounters
of faith and beauty.
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