seeing beauty

Grace sees beauty in everything . . .

Grace sees goodness in everything . . .

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.

~ Bono

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Embedded in all of creation, interwoven through history, underlying all creative action, anchored in all human expression is beauty.

Beauty is the expression of the image of God.

Beauty is the expression of the breath of Spirit.

Beauty is the expression of life itself.

Beauty is at the core of all creation.

Beauty is in the heart of all human beings.

We must honor and respect beauty.

But first we must learn to See (capital “S”) . . . See beauty in everything.

When we listen to a person speak, no matter what they say, do we listen to the heart behind the words?

When we hear a song, whether we like it or not, do we listen to the creative expression, the heart behind the music?

When we look at a painting or a sculpture, do we look at it and through it to the heart of the artist?

When we hear a poem, do we listen for the heart that created it?

When we dialogue with someone of differing beliefs and values, do we look to the heart behind those beliefs and values?

When we look at any and all of creation, do we look at the heart of the creator behind it all?

“It is the ability to see beauty in all of life’s circumstances that gives our lives meaning.

“In his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”, Victor Frankl describes a bowl of filthy water with a fish head floating in it, given to him by his Nazi captors in a concentration camp during WWII. He trained himself to see beauty in this meal, rather than focus on the horror of it. He attributed his ability to see beauty anywhere as a vital factor in surviving those horrific camps. He reminds us that if we focus on what’s ugly, we attract more ugliness into our thoughts, and then into our emotions, and ultimately into our lives. By choosing to hang on to one’s corner of freedom even in the worst situations, we can process our world with the energy of appreciation and beauty, and create an opportunity to transcend our circumstances.

“I love the way Mother Teresa described this quality when she was asked, ‘What do you do every day in the streets of Calcutta at your mission?’ She responded, ‘Every day I see Jesus Christ in all of his distressing disguises.’”

Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention, p. 28

First we must look intently

with all of our heart,

with a pure heart

(free of bias and judgment).

Then and only then will we begin to See.

Posted in: Living with open hands