Sometimes, when all the color is stripped away by winter, it can be hard to see beauty. Then we need to look more closely. Often, we can then see things that we could not see before. We start to notice subtleties and miracles, we discover mysteries, and our minds calm down and are filled with wonder.
It’s not only the winter of nature that does this. The hard, bare times of our lives, too, can be a blessing. They can lead us to rely more on God, to search for his goodness, and to find it in his truth.
I see wild-haired Einstein in this willow
After my walks (what a blessing that I am strong enough and steady enough to go for walks again!) I come inside to the warmth and stand by the fire. I admire our amaryllis or taste a wee bite of strawberry cake. And I try to remember one lesson: when beauty and blessings seem to have disappeared, I just need to look more determinedly. Perhaps all I will be left with is a mystery, like these dead bees, but it will not be a mystery to God.
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- Dead bee on the snow
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- Dead bee melted into the snow
This week, I urge you to go outside into nature, even if the weather is extreme. At the very least, you will enjoy coming back inside, and who knows what beauty or lessons or mysteries God may have waiting for you? Please tell us about your outside time in the comments and feel free to include a link.
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