“....For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.…” - Matthew 13:15-17

A man stood watching an artist painting a tree trunk. Looking from the tree trunk to the painting and back again, the man finally exclaimed n disgust: “What do you mean by putting all those colours into your painting of that tree? I don't see anything but a drab coloured old dead tree trunk standing there.”“You don't?” replied the artist, indifferently, going on with his work. “But don't you wish you could see the colours in it that I see?”

Like the times of Sodom and Gomorrah, this world has much about it that is ugly, sordid, cheap, and lowering. We live in a “I want it now” society – no mattr what it takes to get it. We can be forgiven in thinking that, like the tree trunk, there's no beauty to be found anywhere. But how wrong we would be to accept that conclusion.

We are each designed and made in the image of God, just as is every flower, tree, insect, bird and animal on the planet. Not one is a replicate of another. Each one is unique. In even the most squalid of conditions, beauty can be found. We just need eyes and hearts to see.

There's a saying that beauty is only skin deep, how untrue that is. The finest beauty is not on the surface. It lurks far below the epidermis and is found in character, morals, loyalty, and love for God and others.

God, give me eyes to see beauty in the common things,
in the storms and tempests of Spring,
the sparkle of dew drops trembling on the petals of flowers and leaves alike.
In the dying leaves of autumn, and the late wind's wild and weird refrain.
God give me eyes to see beauty in the love of family and friends.
Let me see beauty in the routine drudge of work;
and give me hope for each day that springs.
God give me eyes to see beauty in the common things.

“If they could see you through my eyes” (LIVE) – Gordon Mote. Click on the picture to listen.