Noticed Beauty

1 Peter 3:4
You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

Surrounded by death.  Fallen to the ground in silence.  Here lies a leaf still wearing the brilliant colors of its’ once vibrant existence.  It lies now lifeless on the floor of the forest.  Having lost its’ ability to shine, it lies dormant, losing its life.  No longer feeling worthy of being noticed. How does this make any sense?  Why would God create such a great beauty just to put it to death? Anyone see a pattern here?  God has a history of creating and then bringing death, however in the process all things are made new. Beauty rises from the ashes over and over again.

Where I was just a short time ago was like this lonely leaf.  I once was vibrant and filled with color, but as the seasons of my life took their toll, I faded.  I lost my focus on who I really was.  The beauty I had once known began to fade.  I decided it was no longer worth it to even try to look the part of who I was, what did it matter?  Who would even notice?  I was stuck in a relationship of insanity, no reason to change who I had become.  But God in His awesome grace, removed me from the dying tree and gently let me fall to the floor, allowing me to die.  Allowing me to rest.  Letting me go through a process of renewal.

As I laid dormant for a season, I was allowing God to remake me.  He was changing me from the inside out, creating in me a clean heart.  He wanted me to forget about being a leaf and to set my eyes on becoming a tree.  A tree which could provide shelter.  A tree which could produce fruit.  A tree that could bend with the storms of life and not break.  Though the process may have seemed painful to those around me, it was cleansing and brought me to a place of surrender like I had never felt before.  I now stand firm on solid ground knowing that I am beautiful.  I am filled with life.  I am happily bending in the wind.  I am finally where I need to be.

God noticed the beauty in me and He certainly sees it in you.  Are you willing to be plucked from the tree and let loose from your painful circumstances? Surrender it all.  Let God have His way in your seasons.  Allow Him to change you from beauty to beauty so that you  will become a tree planted firmly in the hands of God.  A sight to behold in every season.