Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Jan 15, 2008 1:10:53 GMT -5
Innocence And Beauty
© Betty King
My four year old granddaughter picked a handful of dandelions the other day, handing them to me. Then she turned around and ran off. Lydia hollered back in my direction, “I love you grandma.”
Most people detest dandelions and use weed killers to rid their lawns of the pest. Some purchase a special tool to dig them up by the roots. Others believe it is time to mow the grass as soon as the yard becomes laden with yellow polka dots. Looking out over most lawns, these little yellow persistent fellows, eager to appear and reappear, are simply, to most, a nuisance.
I have noticed as children become adults, what they perceived as flowers often becomes weeds. Eyes see things differently as years accumulate. “Why is that?” I ponder.
It seems the simple beauties in life become confused and entangled, finding their way to ugliness and offensiveness. Carefree innocence and virtue, give way to guilt and mediocre pleasantries. Our guarded cynical views, as adults, keep us from enjoying much life has to offer.
The Bible tells us to be like a little child -- to have the faith of a child. Jesus understood the little children and their ability to love. Their innocence gives them the ability to see things as they truly are. It is a gift we adults should seek to maintain. Oh, the things we find annoying and unpleasant. We pass over so much of the beauty in life as we
age. The precious moments we miss, by disregarding true beauty and exquisiteness in the mundane.
There is nothing that opens my eyes to reality, and the beauty that surrounds me, like my grandchildren. The tiniest bug or ant becomes an interesting creature. Each leaf, in its intricate individual pattern, becomes a map of nature. A rain puddle becomes a lake, a source of pitter-patter pleasure. An earth worm, in the hands of a child, is a fascinating life form. Each color in the rainbow is a painted palette of wonderment. Each raindrop in the open mouth of a child is a delicious delicacy. The clouds become billowing picture patterns, an adult in their analytical mind could never understand. A sunset, seen through the eyes of a child, is a painting Picasso could never have painted.
I took the dandelions Lydia gave me, and paused to really look at them.
A handful of delicate petals reflected the sunshine of a beautiful bouquet. Only God could have formed both the beauty of the dandelion and the wonderment in the eyes of a child.
I saw in my hand flowers of beauty, the sweetness of an innocent child, and the glorious face of God.
I took from my cabinet a small clear glass, which also made a beautiful vase. It mattered not to me that it was not crystal, for it seemed to be in my eyes. I filled it with cool, clear water and placed each dandelion on the surface. They floated like gorgeous lilies, and
I truly saw, for the first time, the beauty of dandelions.
I saw in that moment, a flower instead of a weed.
I placed them beside the smiling portrait of my beautiful grandchild, and I thanked God, for the innocence and beauty of a child.
Lydia , I love you too.
“And that from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures, which is able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
- (2 Timothy 3:15)
© Betty King
My four year old granddaughter picked a handful of dandelions the other day, handing them to me. Then she turned around and ran off. Lydia hollered back in my direction, “I love you grandma.”
Most people detest dandelions and use weed killers to rid their lawns of the pest. Some purchase a special tool to dig them up by the roots. Others believe it is time to mow the grass as soon as the yard becomes laden with yellow polka dots. Looking out over most lawns, these little yellow persistent fellows, eager to appear and reappear, are simply, to most, a nuisance.
I have noticed as children become adults, what they perceived as flowers often becomes weeds. Eyes see things differently as years accumulate. “Why is that?” I ponder.
It seems the simple beauties in life become confused and entangled, finding their way to ugliness and offensiveness. Carefree innocence and virtue, give way to guilt and mediocre pleasantries. Our guarded cynical views, as adults, keep us from enjoying much life has to offer.
The Bible tells us to be like a little child -- to have the faith of a child. Jesus understood the little children and their ability to love. Their innocence gives them the ability to see things as they truly are. It is a gift we adults should seek to maintain. Oh, the things we find annoying and unpleasant. We pass over so much of the beauty in life as we
age. The precious moments we miss, by disregarding true beauty and exquisiteness in the mundane.
There is nothing that opens my eyes to reality, and the beauty that surrounds me, like my grandchildren. The tiniest bug or ant becomes an interesting creature. Each leaf, in its intricate individual pattern, becomes a map of nature. A rain puddle becomes a lake, a source of pitter-patter pleasure. An earth worm, in the hands of a child, is a fascinating life form. Each color in the rainbow is a painted palette of wonderment. Each raindrop in the open mouth of a child is a delicious delicacy. The clouds become billowing picture patterns, an adult in their analytical mind could never understand. A sunset, seen through the eyes of a child, is a painting Picasso could never have painted.
I took the dandelions Lydia gave me, and paused to really look at them.
A handful of delicate petals reflected the sunshine of a beautiful bouquet. Only God could have formed both the beauty of the dandelion and the wonderment in the eyes of a child.
I saw in my hand flowers of beauty, the sweetness of an innocent child, and the glorious face of God.
I took from my cabinet a small clear glass, which also made a beautiful vase. It mattered not to me that it was not crystal, for it seemed to be in my eyes. I filled it with cool, clear water and placed each dandelion on the surface. They floated like gorgeous lilies, and
I truly saw, for the first time, the beauty of dandelions.
I saw in that moment, a flower instead of a weed.
I placed them beside the smiling portrait of my beautiful grandchild, and I thanked God, for the innocence and beauty of a child.
Lydia , I love you too.
“And that from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures, which is able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
- (2 Timothy 3:15)