A story that changed me

There are some stories you read and forget, and some that become a part of you.
This one was one of the later of the two.

I don’t remember where I read it first, but it was of a woman kept in a prison cell, and it went on to tell of how she managed to make even a prison cell a thing of beauty.

They say that she used the few things that she had and arranged them to the best of her abilities so that others noticed that this place was different.

Who was this woman, you might ask? Who would find it worth the attempt to transform a prison cell in which she was bound?
Her name was Betsy Ten Boom.

I think on it this morning. How nearly every one of us has a tendency towards comparison, and how it robs us of our ability to create. My own tendency to say that I don’t have enough to work with and to bemoan my lack of resources.

But I think then on this —even in a prison cell, someone found a way to create noticeable beauty.

And I remember then that there are no excuses left for me.

Oh, to be a woman who is cut of this cloth! To have eyes to see the beauty in even the darkest of places and to be willing to bring it to light.

I am reminded, then, once again, that cultivating beauty is something we were made for. It’s not just a hobby for a few, but a desire given to us by our Creator. Something placed within us as a way of reflecting the very One who made us.

For the very one who creates countless varieties of dahlias and paints evening sunsets with an array of colors, the same Creator that saw fit to fill the forests with a thousand different shapes of leaves and displays the most beautiful color palette in Fall, is the very same one who made us in His own image.

But in our attempt to live in such a way, there is a criticism that we may find - the push against living in a romanticized world and the need to accept reality and live more authentically.

They certainly have a point worth considering.

To romanticize is to act as if something is better than it truly is. My question then for you —how can you make things better than they are?

To romanticize is simply to paint a false picture, so I challenge you —instead of pretending, make it your reality.

Take every opportunity to open a window that lets in a little more beauty into your space in this world. Not as an act of show and cover-up, but simply as a way of reflecting your maker and reminding others that we serve a God who loves to see us do what he takes great delight in doing Himself.

I find myself then examining my heart on this —I have not always pursued this way of life with the right motive.

I love to create for an applause. I want others to find me skillful and talented. I so often want to hear my own praises sung instead of acting out of a heart of worship to my Maker. I am reminded again that the truest joy comes when the beauty we create here brings others to gaze upward.

So whether it be in a prison cell, or surrounded by the endless messes of toddlers, or with cheap decor that fits the budget, there is beauty to be cultivated right where your feet are, my friend.

Dig in and bring it to life so that others might come face to face with the beauty of Heaven in your small corner of the world.