Monday, November 27, 2006

Strolling down the gravel on a lovely fall day a few
weeks ago I was imagining what it would be like to
be blind. I was trying to take mental snapshots of
all the beauty around me so that if I ever were to
lose my sight I would be able to pull up the pictures
and enjoy them from memory.

Then, because I am built to look for object lessons, I
began to think of Princess Daughter and what I could
teach her from this train of thought.

Princess Daughter is a lovely little girl. In fact, I think she
is beautiful. But beauty is very fleeting. It changes definition
with every new commercial.

If I were blind, I would not be able to see her pretty self, but
I would still be able to hear whether or not Hattie had inner
beauty by listening to the way she talked. I could catch the
tone of her voice; I would be able to judge her attitude and
words to see if she was filled with a loveliness that is fulfilling
and lasting.

And so, after I got home, I talked to her about these things.
I let her know that it is the eternal that she needs to be
developing most of all. I reminded her of I Peter 3:3,4.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward--
arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on
fine apparel--rather let it be the hidden person
of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of
a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious
in the sight of God.

Did it sink in? Maybe not yet, but she is still a young and
very moldable piece of clay in the Maker's hands. And I think,
just maybe, as she is hanging upside down from a branch 20
feet up, these things come into her little mind from time to time
and she ponders them. Cute little monkey.

3 comments:

Tammy said...

Beautiful!

Susannah said...

If I were blind, I would not be able to see her pretty self, but
I would still be able to hear whether or not Hattie had inner beauty by listening to the way she talked. I could catch the tone of her voice; I would be able to judge her attitude and words to see if she was filled with a loveliness that is fulfilling and lasting.
I have often had this same thought regarding my own sweet daughter. I believe God intended girls/women to display both inner and outer beauty. Sadly, sin mars both. We age, and we get grumpy! May we continue to display the loveliness of Christ in all we say and do...

Laurie said...

Tammy: Thank you!

e-mom: You grumpy? Surely not!