“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Have you ever experienced God through a specific word He highlights for you? It’s pretty sweet when this happens as it reveals His nearness. Recently, in the midst of my sorrow, He highlighted the word beauty for me.
You see, the last few weeks have been extremely painful ones for me. I’m facing a lot of change; our daughter moved across the country, and I was let go from my job. The last word I would use to describe this season of sorrow would be the word “beautiful.” I mean, what’s so beautiful about pain? God, however, has been speaking to my heart about beauty and specifically of the beauty within our suffering.
There is beauty in everything, for beauty is God’s handwriting. Therefore there is beauty in sorrow too.
Our nation is really hurting these days. There is racial unrest and political chaos everywhere. Many are experiencing a sense of loss, and are facing hardships of varying degrees. Some feel lonely and isolated, and others have been robbed of special events like a marriage ceremony or a graduation. And yet others are struggling with death of a loved one, financial struggles, and the list goes on
For me, my sorrow has been letting go of our sweet daughter who recently moved far across the country. Her and I have a very special bond. We stay up late eating popcorn and chocolate covered almonds watching tv shows. We go for walks together, and have long deep intimate talks about just about everything. Although this is a very good move for her, I’m feeling the pain of her absence in my daily life.
The first morning after her move was the hardest for me. I felt immense pain as I the thought of the many days ahead of me that I wouldn’t see her face to face. It felt like a death to me. And in some ways it was a “death” of sorts- it was an end of a very special season of life that her and I shared together. It’s always very hard to let go of a season you have loved.
A week after Nikki moved, I was told that I was being terminated from my job. This was truly shocking news to me as I had no warning that my job was in jeopardy. I felt so broken.
As the days went on the word “beauty” kept popping up for me. It was as if God was shining a spotlight on this one word for me.
The first place I noticed it was on a memorial rock that someone had so lovingly placed in a park nearby (see picture above). Then it was illuminated (as if it was jumping off the page) in Scripture passages (Psalm 23:6, Song of Solomon 4:7, Ecclesiastes 3:11). I started noticing it mentioned in conversations, in a note my husband left me, on social media posts, etc. When I opened my new journal and the heading on it was “You Are Beautiful In His Sight,” I knew the Lord was trying to get my attention to teach me something about the word “beautiful.” I had a strong sense it would be a sweet lesson from Him on the beauty in the midst of sorrow.
Don’t miss the beauty of the Lord around you, no matter your circumstances.
It was as if God was saying to me, “My precious one, Do not lose sight of me in the midst of your sorrow. I have not left you. My presence is within you and all around you. There is beauty in this moment, and my beauty rests upon you.” I began to pay attention to the beautiful world around me, whether within a relationship, nature, or a word, and I began to gain a new perspective on my circumstances.
“O Lord our God, let your sweet beauty rest upon us and give us favor. Come work with us, and then our works will endure, and give us success in all we do.”
Psalm 90:17 (TPT)
Life is full of heartache and pain. People are hurting for so many different reasons. God, however, is not ignoring His creation. He is still sitting on His throne, and nothing is a surprise for Him. So when we face trials, we must not lose sight of God and the beauty that He will bring in the midst of our suffering. He can only do this, however, if we invite Him into our angst.
In the midst of your sorrow, may you have eyes to see the beauty around you.
The Lord highlighted His beauty for me in the most unexpected place- within my marriage. In the midst of my pain these days, I have felt Jesus’s strength through my husband. He has been my rock, a pillar of support. The sorrow I’m feeling opened up an opportunity for him to step in to love and care for me. This has been unanticipated because it’s been many years since my husband and I have been this close. What a beautiful thing it is for our relationship to be so intimate at this time. Praise be to the God of sweet surprises.
I am recognizing God’s beauty not only in my marriage, but also in friendships. Many dear friends have reached out to me since our daughter left, sending me words of encouragement via texts and cards, and praying over me. One of my dearest friends is also my hair stylist. She offered to stay late one evening to cut, color and style my hair. What a blessing for me! I visited another friend that I haven’t seen in many years. I’m even making new friends in this season!
I’ve also become acutely aware of the beauty in nature. My husband and I have been going for long walks in different parks we are exploring. It’s been refreshing to take in the beauty around us. God is a magnificent painter and He has created a masterpiece for us to enjoy.
There is truly nothing more beautiful than the Lord God Himself.
“God’s love, His mercy, His grace and His understanding are breathtaking. Don’t miss the beauty of the Lord today. Seek it. It’s there to be found! You’ve been created to enjoy all that is exquisite, beautiful and captivating. Give in to that desire, and find it in Him! Once you have discovered the allure of it, you will find that nothing is more fetching than the Lord in His love.”
Michelle Winger (from my journal You Are Beautiful In His Sight).
If we let Him, God uses our hardships to refine our character (Romans 5:3-5) so that we can become more like Jesus. It is through hardships that we can build our godly character. The secret is to seek after God and trust His love for you. Romans 5:5 says, “For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Dear friend, God loves you dearly, passionately, and unconditionally. This is a beautiful thing!
When we hurt, we want the pain to stop. There is, however, beauty hidden under the surface.
In this season of sadness and pain, I am learning that if I lean on Jesus and surrender it all to Him, I can trust the beauty that will come from the sorrow I’m facing. I love the analogy of a diamond and how a sparkling diamond is formed from coal. Its shine, however, comes only after it endures a lot of pressure. You and I are God’s sparkling diamonds, and we too can only glow after we prevail through difficulties of life. Psalm 34:5 in the Voice translation says, “Look to Him and shine...”
There is beauty in the journey of sorrow. May you allow God to use your pain to write His beautiful story for you. A narrative that will help you shine stronger, brighter, and more beautiful.
“Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.” ~ Psalm 23:6a (MSG)
I love everything about your latest blog. You are so right! Our God wastes nothing, He continues His work in you through every season (just as He promised). Hang tight dear one! You are beautiful and the apple of His eye!
Dearest Sherry, thank you for your words of encouragement. They bless me so much. You too are beautiful and the apple of Gods eye! ❤️
I’m sorry, Tweeny, that I’m so late in reading this. What beautiful words and truth you’ve written! Yes, God hones us through pain, loss and sorrow to make us sparkle and shine like His reflection in us. May you continue to see His beauty all round you everyday. 💜
Dear Lisa, thank you for your words of encouragement. You are a woman that has endured much suffering, so it means even more to me for you to comment on this blog. I pray for you to see His beauty all around you every day as well. Hugs and love my friend!