All Around You

Song of Solomon 6:2

King James Version (KJV)

My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

Have you looked around yourself lately? I mean really looked – with your eyes, heart, mind and soul totally open and taking your surroundings in? There is beauty all around us; we’re usually just too busy, distracted, tired or annoyed to really see it.

I recently read a devotional that discussed how Christians can become “bored” in their faith. They wonder why God hasn’t been speaking to them anymore and wonder if they’ve been forgotten. You shouldn’t feel lonely, for proof of God’s wondrous works and love is all around you. In Luke 12:7 (KJV) it states: “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

 

In nature, have you looked around lately? Looked at the nature around us? It’s everywhere – a butterfly flitting through a parking lot, a tiny wildflower blooming in the middle of winter, even dead leaves floating in a birdbath can be beautiful. Have you noticed? Have you thanked God lately for all the neat things he has given us, even if they’re only to look at and stimulate our minds?

Some days, when my eyes, mind, and heart are really open I’m amazed at what God has provided us. I don’t even know if it all has a purpose, but it’s beautiful.

Go out into your yard, or to a park and walk around aimlessly for a few minutes. Don’t be looking for something amazing as if it’s a scavenger hunt you must win. Just take a breath, open your mind and see all the things that God has made. Notice the little things such as the detail on a leaf. Look up to see empty tree branches against the sky. God’s artwork can be breathtaking and renew our spirit at the same time.

 

And you don’t even have to go outside to find such beauty. I have this really cheap, plastic, dollar store quality nightlight…and I think it’s totally beautiful. It’s clear faceted plastic makes me think of a beautiful diamond. God created it too. He made the world and all that is in it.

 

Look at the details of a woven blanket, a scratched and weathered flowerpot, or the wood grain of a table. There is God’s beauty in everything. Nothing is lost in the details, certainly not you.

What ordinary thing have you found beauty in today?