Dirt-Covered, Yet Beautiful

A quick drive or cursory glance down the streets of our neighborhood would give you the image of unkempt lawns, overgrown weeds, garish & badly done paint jobs, broken sidewalks, discarded trash, and bars on windows. Not the kind of place that says "Beauty" or "Grace" to a passerby.

But that would only be part of the picture, for it takes a slower pace to see the beauty. As Annie Dillard wrote:

"As I walked along...I got better and better at seeing frogs both in and out of the water. I learned to recognize, slowing down, the difference in texture of the light reflected from mud bank, water, grass, or frog."

A slower, closer look at our neighborhood affords visual treasures, things like:

the startled butterfly who flew on ahead;

the nearly hidden, but well tended rose garden;

neatly potted plants along a porch;

the earthy green front door which perfectly compliments the stone house;

the elderly gentleman who waters and weeds his wildflower garden nearly every day;

a well placed decorative wheelbarrow filled with dark, rich soil and crisp, white petunias;

large, shady trees lining the street;

the way the morning sunlight flickers through the trees, creating soft shadows;

a pair of cream rocking chairs inviting company;

sweet smelling honeysuckle climbing over a fence;

a vine-covered wall.

It has taken awhile, but I am learning to find the beauty in the broken & dirty things of life. I am broken, dirty, needy, sinful but God is making me sweet smelling, full of His beauty and grace.

There is so much that is unattractive in this world - Lord help me to view it all through your eyes of grace.