Diamond in the Rough (Hidden Beauty)

Which landscapes do you enjoy? Maybe it’s pine forests (like my mom), palm trees and sand, or sagebrush and juniper trees.

Whatever your favorite scenery or place in the world is (I’d love to hear in the comments what it is!), there’s bound to be an opposite for you. The place that is boring, or even ugly.

For me, it was southern Idaho. I didn’t hate it, but I disliked driving through it or staying there for any period of time. It’s mostly grass fields or sagebrush, for miles and miles. Very boring, right?

I used to think so, but I’ve had a change of perspective recently about Idaho, and now I think it is one of the most beautiful, mysterious, and amazing places I’ve been to.

What changed?

Well, it mostly had to do with one amazing person I met at summer camp last year. I will call him Skipper for now (but if you are reading this, I think you know who you are). 😀

We were talking about places we’d been. I’d driven through Idaho sort of recently, and I shared my opinion of it being a very boring place to drive through.

Skipper disagreed. He told me he thought it was a beautiful place and well worth visiting. The sagebrush is a peaceful landscape and there is so much variety!

I was sort of taken aback, but I wanted to know what made him think that.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: (Eccl. 3:11a)

He told me that God made every place beautiful and different for a purpose, even if it is hard to see at first. He encouraged (and convinced) me to appreciate the true beauty of Idaho.

This is so true! It changed my perspective, not only about southern Idaho but about a lot of other things too. There is beauty in everything God makes: we just have to trust Him and look for it!

Perhaps you have had a hard week. You are exhausted and just want to take a nap or relax and watch a movie or something. I would encourage you, before you do that, to step outside for a moment. It’s spring now, and the flowers are blooming! Well, they are where I live, but even if it’s still wintery and cold for you, remember to find the beauty. Raindrops on the window. Snow on the ground. A bare tree waving in the wind.

Although it may seem like less-than-perfect weather, God gave it to us for a reason. Maybe the plants need the rain badly. (It was pouring rain for the last week at my house, and now all the grass is vibrant green!)

Just looking out the window for a moment can help reset your mind so much! I promise, it helps. Maybe you can say a quick prayer of thanks to God as well. This, like nothing else, will give you peace.

In one of my previous posts, I recommended to-do lists for relieving stress. This helps a lot! But nothing helps like God, so make sure to go to Him with your list as well. Even if you have a ton of things to do, think, How can I glorify God while I’m doing this? and, What beauty can I find in this chore? Once you figure that out (and it may be hard!), you’re all set to get to work.

Once you can find beauty in the small stuff, you can do so in the rest of your life. And you should totally visit southern Idaho sometime because it really is spectacular!

God bless,

Janet