Beauty Hunting

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
James‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Soft early light. Inhaling, exhaling. Aroma of coffee brewing. Waking alongside my love, my friend. Quiet before everyone wakes. Time with God. Words of Life. Refilling of Peace. Bare feet on wood floors. Hungry kitty hellos. Oldest one, taller than me, immersed in a story. Morning hugs times six. Warm creamy coffee. Fresh-laid eggs. Just ripe banana. Blueberries, sweet as candy. Toast with golden peach jam. Bird song. Cool gentle breeze. Brothers three, bonding over baseball. Refreshing shower. Healing power of song. Littlest one, singing along. Summer garden bounty. Sun ripe tomatoes. First dahlia blooming. Tiny green Praying Mantis. Morning Glories unfurling. Happy chickens chattering. Children laughing. Big sloppy puppy love. New mercies waiting. Goodness surrounding. Beauty abounding. With fresh, keen eyes, I am hunting, I am finding. 

I am not a morning person. I usually wake with a cloudy head, my heart overshadowed by too many worries. I struggle to see beauty in my everyday moments. I tend to allow despair and discouragement to dictate my day. 

It takes intentionally on my part to choose another way through my day. To choose the path of peace, joy and abundance. It is there, quietly waiting, if I make the choice to slow down and see with new eyes. To see beyond circumstances, beyond the moments of chaos that sometimes play a leading role in my home but mostly in my own heart and mind. 

The list above is not a picture perfect snapshot of a day in my life but instead it is the beginning of my list of the ways He loves. Bullet points of the ways He continues to reveal His glory in my ordinary moments and His delight in the simplest of pleasures. 

In the last year and half, I’ve thought a lot about being a beauty hunter, a light bearer, a life giver. I think it is important that we each bear witness to His beauty which is all around us. To push back the dark and live into the light. 

When we name our gifts, we give credit to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. To the Father of Lights, who gives generously to all of His creation. As sons and daughters, we are each called to bring forth our Father’s Kingdom to a world that disparately needs His freedom. This is our inheritance. This is who we were made to be and who we are continually called deeper into becoming. 

We must first have eyes to see, to name, His gifts, one by one. It is in the calling forth of His beauty and goodness that we push back the darkness and proclaim His mighty love. This love so powerful that it can set every captive free. 

Will you join me in taking on the call to become a beauty hunter? Looking with fresh eyes of wonder and inspiration at all the ways God weaves His mercy and grace in and through our everyday moments. Today, begin with your list of the ways He loves.