Observing the Beauty of Subtle Change
For two years I lived on the other side of the world. It was an amazing melting pot of cultures; where I would wander the streets and have all my senses constantly bombarded...blends of smells that no amount of coffee beans could reset; a different language finding it's way in my ear and over my head as each uniquely-shaped mouth passed me on the sidewalk. The city was surrounded by large mountains of dirt, tucking me in from all sides like a blanket, and overhead I was met with skies so blue and so close I was afraid they would fall on my face, enveloping me like a sheet in a poorly assembled living room blanket fort. As wonderful and mysterious as this new home was, it was also the constant recipient of layers of dust and dirt the winds swept off the mountains and onto everything in the valley below, dulling the colors of the incredibly short-lived spring.
So now, every year for the past 10 years, when the days get longer and the temperature rises, I have slowed myself down to watch and observe, not wanting to miss what spring does best...spring up! In what seems like mere hours, I see the tulip go from a green little shell to a full cup of flower petals, begging the sun to fill it to the brim with its warm rays. I watch the baby bumps of leaves grow in trees, marking each day as a pregnant woman marks the growth of her baby inside. I slow down, take notice, and truly savor the process of growth and change. But this does not come naturally. It takes discipline, because most days I simply feel too busy to stop and enjoy the process. And the next thing I know, fall is here and I'm raking those dried-up leaves and shoving them in my trashcan, or letting the wind blow them into my neighbor's yard. (Sorry neighbors...I'm the worst.)
I walked down dusty tile sidewalks, looked at trees planted in dirt and painted white half-way up the trunk. There were no front yards. There were no personal gardens. Plots of grass, rows of wildflowers, blossoming trees, were allocated to parks alone. Nature seemed to be a rare beauty only found caged up in an amusement park, to be observed for a small fee in a couple hours, much like a panda in a zoo.
Ever since I have returned back home, I have made it my ambition to never take the seasons for granted. I would walk by the tree in my parent's backyard, carefully noting the small changes...starting as a bare twig, then it would begin to grow a bud that would gradually grow into a leaf. I had previously gone 22 years without ever knowing how a tree went from a little stick in the ground to a full canopy of green leaves. I'd missed the process. And I had missed the true beauty of spring: the sublte growth that leads to such great beauty. The beautiful process of change and growth.
So now, every year for the past 10 years, when the days get longer and the temperature rises, I have slowed myself down to watch and observe, not wanting to miss what spring does best...spring up! In what seems like mere hours, I see the tulip go from a green little shell to a full cup of flower petals, begging the sun to fill it to the brim with its warm rays. I watch the baby bumps of leaves grow in trees, marking each day as a pregnant woman marks the growth of her baby inside. I slow down, take notice, and truly savor the process of growth and change. But this does not come naturally. It takes discipline, because most days I simply feel too busy to stop and enjoy the process. And the next thing I know, fall is here and I'm raking those dried-up leaves and shoving them in my trashcan, or letting the wind blow them into my neighbor's yard. (Sorry neighbors...I'm the worst.)
As I have been slowing down and appreciating the process and growth of spring, I have been confronted with this question: "Do I carefully observe the beauty of the small changes and process of growth in my own life? In the lives of those around me?"
Do I appreciate the small, subtle acts of obedience, the steps of faith, and slight changes in my thoughts and attitudes? Do I delight in the patient work of my Creator, who makes me more and more like Him every day? Do I greet Him in the morning, thankful for His new mercies? Do I see the beauty of slow growth over time? And do I look for those hints of growth in the lives of those around me?
It is so easy to see yourself return to old habits and besetting sins, feeling as if you'll never change. It is easy to focus on the areas of frustrations and failures but miss the fruit of the spirit growing among the weeds. But the truth is, for those who are in Christ, we are being set-apart. We are being sanctified. We are becoming more and more like Him. We are being transformed from one degree of glory to the next. He is growing us into something beautiful. And we need only abide.
It reminds me of an Easter Lilly I planted in my front yard. Someone bought it for the Easter service at my church and didn't want to take it home. Being genetically incapable of refusing something free, I took it home, forgot to water it, watched it die, and decided to dig a haphazard hole in the ground as a last-ditch effort to save it. I failed and it died.
But lo and behold, this spring I looked out my window and what did I see? That's right...the Easter Lilly. I assume it is called an Easter Lilly because it resurrects on its own! I had so little to do with its life. I just put it in a place where it could grow. And grow, it did!
We are much like those Easter Lillies. Only God can cause the growth, but we can put ourselves in places where we will be able to grow. It reminds me of a verse in Philippians:
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
I don't know about you, but I want to be the kind of woman who keenly observes the hand of God in my life and the lives of those around me. I want to watch the Lord renew His creation, bringing it to life...transforming it into the beautiful image of His son, day by day. And I want to look more and more like Him every day. I want Him to work in and through me for His good pleasure. And I want to take pleasure in the work that He does in and through me.
So my encouragement today is this: slow down, stop and observe: how is God growing you? What beauty is He bringing to life in you? In those around you? Then, take the time to share what you see!
Do I appreciate the small, subtle acts of obedience, the steps of faith, and slight changes in my thoughts and attitudes? Do I delight in the patient work of my Creator, who makes me more and more like Him every day? Do I greet Him in the morning, thankful for His new mercies? Do I see the beauty of slow growth over time? And do I look for those hints of growth in the lives of those around me?
It is so easy to see yourself return to old habits and besetting sins, feeling as if you'll never change. It is easy to focus on the areas of frustrations and failures but miss the fruit of the spirit growing among the weeds. But the truth is, for those who are in Christ, we are being set-apart. We are being sanctified. We are becoming more and more like Him. We are being transformed from one degree of glory to the next. He is growing us into something beautiful. And we need only abide.
It reminds me of an Easter Lilly I planted in my front yard. Someone bought it for the Easter service at my church and didn't want to take it home. Being genetically incapable of refusing something free, I took it home, forgot to water it, watched it die, and decided to dig a haphazard hole in the ground as a last-ditch effort to save it. I failed and it died.
But lo and behold, this spring I looked out my window and what did I see? That's right...the Easter Lilly. I assume it is called an Easter Lilly because it resurrects on its own! I had so little to do with its life. I just put it in a place where it could grow. And grow, it did!
We are much like those Easter Lillies. Only God can cause the growth, but we can put ourselves in places where we will be able to grow. It reminds me of a verse in Philippians:
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
I don't know about you, but I want to be the kind of woman who keenly observes the hand of God in my life and the lives of those around me. I want to watch the Lord renew His creation, bringing it to life...transforming it into the beautiful image of His son, day by day. And I want to look more and more like Him every day. I want Him to work in and through me for His good pleasure. And I want to take pleasure in the work that He does in and through me.
So my encouragement today is this: slow down, stop and observe: how is God growing you? What beauty is He bringing to life in you? In those around you? Then, take the time to share what you see!
Comments