Beauty

This is another one from my backlog (from my last trip home). As I was driving back to KY, I crossed the French Broad River at the height of the sunrise. I was in the middle of the bridge, with the golden sunrise cresting over the hill, revealing a little house right on the shore. The whole area was still covered in the morning mist, which further amplified and reflected the radiance of the sunrise. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever seen. I imagined being able to wake up to that scene morning after morning. I further imagined myself being able to go canoeing in the river at the same time and the beauty that would surround me. As I meditated upon this beauty and imagined myself in its midst, I began to think of what daily life would be like for those living in that little white house on the shore. I wondered if they would wake up and appreciate the beauty that was right there, or busily race off and never even see it. Then, my thoughts turned inward.

I have lived in Charleston for at least twelve of the twenty-five years I’ve been alive (a conservative estimate). In that time, I have never visited most of the areas people talk about when they visit Charleston. I have lived there for such a long time and yet have taken the beauty that was around me so for granted. This last trip home was one of the first that I have ever really looked around and seen the beauty of the Charleston area. Before this last trip, I realized that I had beautiful pictures of all kinds of random places, some places in which I have lived and some in which I have only spent a day or two at the most, yet I had none of the Charleston area. Thus, one of my goals was to “tour” Charleston and get some pictures. I did just that and was amazed at the beauty of the area. Though I have driven trucks right through the same streets and even wired houses on the same islands, I have never truly seen the Charleston area before this trip. I had beauty staring me in the face, took it for granted, and looked right past it!

This is the same way that we take a good church for granted. We see the daily running or small imperfections and forget the beauty that is there. We get caught in routine or in our own selfishness and never step back and appreciate what Christ has given us.

To take this to a deeper level, it is the same way a husband “forgets” how beautiful and special his wife is. He has been with her for a certain length of time and no longer steps back and simply admires her beauty and thus forgets the wife of his youth. Further, he takes her for granted all the way around. He begins not to think for her, but for himself. It is no longer “how was your day,” but “let me tell you about my day.” Thus, the wife no longer feels beautiful and appreciated, much less loved. Wives too, fall to this. She forgets to admire the strength and provision of her man. She grows used to his putting her first and comes to expect it, rather than appreciate it. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that they take each other for granted and then things fall apart. Thus, closing each other off and fortifying the distance they have created between themselves. This is unfortunately part of our sinful nature and something we must constantly fight!

Oh man, what an indictment!!! I wonder how many other things I don’t see in the same way. In fact, let’s finish this thought and take it to the highest level… we take God for granted in much the same way. Instead of spending time in awe of and enjoying Him, we rush about the tasks we have set for ourselves and totally neglect our relationship with Him!!! Despite how much He tries to display His glory and His love for us, we continue to be a stiff-necked people…

May God help us to admire and worship Him with all of our being, seeing Him with fresh eyes each and every day!!!