|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
What beauty resides within your heart, dear friend? We are often quick to see the flaws, slow to see beauty in others, and slower still to see beauty within ourselves. Why is that?
In The Desert Walk, the chapter on “Exposure” sets out to help us see that beauty resides within—waiting to be discovered and developed.
The Beauty of Christ’s Heart
We all agree that Jesus’ heart is beautiful and perfectly made, filled with the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. His heart is full of obedience, surrender, and willing sacrifice. His heart is the perfection of beauty.
We are made in the image and likeness of God, and we, too, have a heart that contains beauty.
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.”
(Genesis 1:27)
That truth alone tells us something remarkable: beauty is not something we must manufacture. It is something placed within us by God himself.
And yet, parts of our hearts remain hidden, guarded, even hardened. God’s tender mercy cracks open the hidden places of our hearts, exposing them and transforming them into something more beautiful.
Recognizing the Beauty Already Within
Self-awareness is the first step in allowing this work to begin. We pause long enough to notice where love is already present. Where are we joyful? Do we extend kindness? Where does patience come naturally? Does generosity flow easily?
In these moments, we glimpse the beauty God has already planted in our hearts. It is not prideful to acknowledge them—it is simply recognizing God’s handiwork.
Exposure Leads to Healing
Exposure also reveals the places that need healing. The areas where peace is absent, where impatience grows, where wounds have closed us off. These too are invitations. Jesus does not expose the heart to shame it. He exposes it to heal it.
The heart requires development. As we allow Jesus to hold our hearts, he gently administers his healing. He patiently restores our wounds and strengthens the goodness within us.
And over time, something extraordinary happens: the beauty of Christ begins to shine through us. We begin to desire that God bring his beauty to life within us.
When God looks upon his beloved, he does not only see what is unfinished. Heal also sees what is becoming.
“How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!” Song of Solomon 1:15
Perhaps the desert invitation to explore “Exposure” helps us to see ourselves the way God already does.
Reflection
Where do you see the beauty of God already at work in your heart?
