Up the Sunbeam

-- -- Almost too pretty to look at, my eyes strain to soak up all the color, all the texture, all the blazing glory they behold. What a profusion!  Petals arrayed in joyous circumference reaching sun-ward like arms all lifted in praise to the Creator, the One who breathed stars into the sky and spoke into being the very sun they reach for. Dazzling in that glitter and gold California sun, each blossom is a thing of beauty, singly, all by itself, unique in every way. You know what? Flowers don't compare themselves to other flowers. They simply bloom. This whole comparison thing seems to be a uniquely human affliction, and I am not immuned. "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else." Galatians 6:4 NLT When the flowers preach their sermon, will I listen?  Will I, with abandon, just turn my face skyward and lift hands and heart and life to God and just be wh...

Thank You, God, for pretty. Pretty dew-droppy pink. Pretty purple flower stars. Pretty, perfect lavendar bouquets, ready-made. Pretty, pretty, pretty. He didn't have to make things pretty, you know. He could have confined His creation to dull grey, straight lines, purely utilitarian features, no frills. What would this world be like if God had left pretty out of it? What would our lives be like if nothing was the least bit pretty? Even those who ordinarily don't notice beauty in their surroundings would be shocked at how much they would miss the pretty things we see every day. Thankfully, He didn't only make things practical. Thankfully He didn't only make things that served some pragmatic purpose or that performed a service to mankind. Thankfully He didn't relegate us to a useful, but ugly existence. He made most things to be both good for something AND pretty in some way. He even made some parts of His creation solel...