How To Radiate Beauty (Picture Parable of the Week)

The other morning before Robert left for work I asked to sneak out for a walk…alone! A walk without strollers, cries, or my 3-year old’s questions. I just wanted to be with God in the quiet for 15 minutes. Robert encouraged me to take this time so off I went.

I walked past a ditch I had seen hundreds of times. Yet this passing was different.

I chatted with God about the ditch. Thoughts floated through my mind as “a dead body of water, it’s not fresh, alive and vibrant…” or “when we don’t have streams of water {Holy Spirit} filling us up continually, we are filthy and stagnant…” Then the Lord nudged my heart to turn around. I obeyed.

Over the small insignificant bridge I traveled across the street to the other side. This side looked different. This side reflected the morning sunrise.

My heart whispered…wow.

Immediately the Lord revealed to me His powerful yet beautiful truth for all of us.

Before

The before picture is a snapshot of the ditch without the morning sunshine reflecting its water. I look at this image and all I can see is unlovely things. I notice the trash. I see lifeless water that is barely even a body of water. Dry dirt. Weeds. Algae. My summation of this image is: unlovely.

After

When the morning sunshine reflects the water I see something different. I see beauty, breathtaking beauty. The trash, the dirt, algae, and weeds all still exist, yet there’s something more powerful to gaze upon.

And my heart says that that “something” is actually “Someone”; our good God.

How To Radiate Beauty

Today as you might have a tendency to criticize yourself, or see all the unlovely things about your life, do the following:

1) Stop-refuse to continue looking to yourself for beauty.

2) Turn your face, and your heart, to Him. Choose to see His beauty.

3) Stare into God’s heart until you see nothing else. {This can be done by simply magnifying Him for the things He has done (e.g. “Thank you, Jesus, for your submission to death. Thank you for my friends. Thank you for my family. I praise you for your Creation.”) &/or by reading Scripture…the Psalms are a great place to begin.}

4) Allow the Holy Spirit {God in you} to reflect Himself in your heart, your spirit.

5) Now go about your day aware of His Presence; His glory reflecting your heart.

Watch what will happen as you go about your day focused on Him. You might be amazed at how beautiful your life can become with the ever-so small shift of your perspective.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace… The words of that hymn sing loudly and ever so true!

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27b

“As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Have a blessed and powerful Good Friday with our Good Good Good God!

This, my friend, is how we truly radiate beauty!