Visualize Beautiful

Sometimes I forget to see the beautiful. The Bible says, "He will bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair" (Isaiah 61:3). So there's really no reason I shouldn't see the beauty in everyday life. It's a matter of perception and a willingness to visualize the beautiful.

It is so easy to soak in the sunshine--the big positive moments in life--and see the beautiful. It seems like everyone is re-energized after a day of sun and warmth. Myself included! I don't enjoy the cold and the rain, but I am continually reminded of the true beauty--the beauty for ashes.

You know, when you're driving down the gray road, staring at the gray clouds, and noticing the absence of color everywhere you look? That was me last week. Then the Lord saw fit to show me four rainbows in the course of the next few days! VisualizeBeautiful.

The trick is to see the beauty in the midst gray. To visualize the rainbows before they appear.

Sometimes I forget to see the beautiful. You know when the house is a mess, and the kid's diaper is stinky...when the bills are stacking up and all the energy has escaped the body...when there's a chorus of crying and joining in is tempting...VisualizeBeautiful. 

This is what Jesus has been teaching me. He gives beauty for ashes. Much of this world cries with a spirit of despair, yet God gives us a garment of praise. Lately, division in the world has been growing wider, but I'm choosing the oil of JOY, and the crown of BEAUTY.

For the world and for my life, I will VisualizeBeautiful.