God's Beauty

Read Psalm 27

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.
-Psalm 27:4 (NIV)

ON the wall of my friend's house hangs a painting of a ruddy-faced, ragged-clothed hobo. The hobo sits in the midst of rubbish, cans and bottles strewn everywhere. His face displays the hint of a smile in an otherwise sad demeanor. Among the shadows and grays, a snow-white flower cupped ever so gently in the hobo's hand draws the eye to the center of the painting. The hobo's tenderness protects the fragile beauty amid the devastation.

In the 20 years I have spent in prison amid the ruins of countless lives, that painting has often reminded me that God's beauty can never be diminished, no matter how large the dump. I need only to look at an old man sitting on his bunk reading the Bible, or to hear the laughter of a young man talking on the phone to his family. Beauty is everywhere, but we must put on the lens of love to truly appreciate it.

We can learn to look for God's beauty in ordinary settings. We can see God in the smile of a stranger or hear God in the song of a single sparrow. To do so is to learn to live in God's presence daily.

by Richard A. Ryan (Florida, USA)