November 15

I was walking up a side path to the elementary school to pick up Brady this afternoon when I came upon a small patch of these flowers. Their dainty, sun-seeking faces were so cute that I had to stop and admire them for a second. And then, because I'm me, I thought I saw something significant in the moment and had to take a picture.

I didn't know how I'd use the image or what I'd say about it at the time, but a thought eventually came to me. Sometimes, like in the case of this little sweetie, it's easy to find beauty in the form of crisp petals, symmetry, and a perfectly shaded, buttery center. It's easy to appreciate something like this --or love it, even-- because it's so pretty on the outside. But it's a bit harder to appreciate the flowers that have faded or lost petals underneath the sun's oft-harsh, intense rays; the ones that don't look quite so sweet. But that doesn't mean that they're not attention-worthy, and in fact, it's likely that they need even more care than the ones that look so perfect.

I could go on indefinitely with my flowery analogy, but we all know I'm talking about people. It's easy to be kind to those who are consistently beautiful to us because we know we'll get the kindness we think we deserve in return. It's much harder to show that same love to those who aren't always so lovely; to those who are sharp or inconsistent or, at times, even unkind. Given that I've been that person --that person who's distant and difficult and stubborn-- I know how important it is to show grace to those people, too.

Because in God's eyes, no one is unlovable. And a little bit of grace shown can plant a seed that will one day grow into a healthy plant that produces even more stunningly beautiful flowers.