Sometimes we just have to look closer to ground or make an opening to discover hidden beauty. A swathe of green or concealing dark shadow can temporarily stand in the way of a revealing, as can distraction and lack of attention to detail.
On city streets people’s eyes betray an inner leaning. Some have their sight continually downcast, glued to a device in their hand, whereas others fix their gaze on the horizon, or scan sky’s vast panorama as they move around.
But those who still their souls, whose inner vision is honed and who look beyond the obvious, will be rewarded with a fresh perspective and feast for the eye. They will sense things close at hand offering an eternal perspective.
In seeking to discover joy and beauty in the everyday, my natural tendency is to stop, stoop and see whatever is low to ground, wanting to grasp and hold close those things near at hand.
I have caught many aspects of loveliness in the lowly things as I look for them. Even weeds can be appealing, because they are really only flowers growing in the wrong place, aren’t they? God hides His treasures, those daily grace gifts we’re apt to ignore and take for granted, in plain sight for us to discover and enjoy.
“I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel” ~ Isaiah 45:3 NKJV
Lily of the valley rises as a delicate offering when days are just beginning to warm and hearts are more than ready for a sign of summer to come. Their white bells ring out a sweetness we respond to with eagerness, sounding a death knell to winter-dark and a welcome invitation of spring.
“To see a World in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower;
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour…”
~ William Blake ‘Auguries of Innocence’
The immortal lines above reveal how much can remain hidden to us when walking along and looking around. We can easily miss the messages God is sending us. There are touches of heaven everywhere, seeking to infuse us with eternal joy in the here and now.
My own imperfect poetry is an attempt to suggest similar things…
Seeing is believing
My eyes tend to be drawn down to ground
where I focus on a flower or two
as camera lens captures the profound
What if I viewed each flower as a vision
not just of loveliness and perfect petals
but of heaven’s breath? Would my seeing
look beyond the human eye, encompass
a greater depth and breadth, stretch toward
eternal skies and find God’s presence sits
close by? Maybe each leaf and flower
are inviting us to sense much more
than eyes devour, lovely as it is,
and teaching us to train our souls
to be on the lookout for heaven’s
kiss. If so, then I don’t ever want to
miss their offering, but pause instead
to marvel how eternity is written
deep within our hearts and concealed
soft within every living thing
©JoyLenton2016
Welcome to #day28 of #write31days of journeying into joy. Bless you for being here! It’s been quite a marathon, hasn’t it?
As this series draws to a close, so our focus slows a bit, leading to small ways of discovering joy hidden in plain sight.
Poetry Joy 
“Heaven’s breath” I love this thought! I will think of this phrase now whenever I see or smell the beauty of the Lily of the Valley, one of my Mom’s favorite spring time flowers! Thank you for such a precious memory to hold onto this morning, as I feel so weary. So often I try to lift my eyes for an eternal perspective, but when it’s just too hard to look up, maybe the key is to look down, as you said, and see the hidden beauty right where I am standing. Lovely thoughts today, my friend! I am so thankful for the gift of poetry that God has given you to share with us! Hugs & Blessings! xoxo
Bettie, would you believe my mother loved lily of the valley too?! Alongside freesias and roses, they were her favourite flowers. I can empathise with your weariness, because it’s sitting heavy on me today. May heaven’s breath breathe renewed life, strength and energy into you, my friend, and may you sense some small spark close at hand, a little grace gift to give you a tiny taste of joy’s eternal presence. I’m so thankful for your faithful company here and the way you often see more than I do in the poetic words I share. Blessings and hugs! xoxo
THIS: “God hides His treasures, those daily grace gifts we’re apt to ignore and take for granted, in plain sight for us to discover and enjoy.”
Tara, it’s a joy to seek those treasures out, isn’t it? Because our appreciation of each grace gift helps fuel praise, gratitude and joy. Bless you, my friend. xo
Oh Joy, you are speaking the longing of my heart. I, too, want to open my heart and “be on the lookout for heaven’s kiss.” To see each creation as “heaven’s breath.” I love that thought. And particularly as winter closes in, when I miss those things so much and have to stay in out of the cold, I need to intentionally seek harder. To see every snowflake, too, as a kiss or breath from God. Thank you for this hope-filled reflection. I hope you have a blessed, rest-filled weekend in every way, my friend. Hugs!
Trudy, it’s harder to hold onto the holy in our everyday when we miss the way creation speaks to us. As we capture images and make memories, we have a resource to look back on during times of being more housebound. Your lovely butterfly photos are a delightful way to think of freedom while being more confined. I hope and pray you will be able to focus on symbols of grace which give you joy through the darkening days of winter. Sometimes we just have to be a bit more inventive! God knows your inner longings and will provide an opportunity if you ask Him to. I could certainly use a rest-filled weekend! May you also enjoy a time of refreshing unwinding, my friend. Hugs! xox
Reblogged this on Michael Moore's Blog and commented:
You spoke to my soul once again, my dear Sister!
Bless you, dear Michael! I am honoured to be speaking to your soul. 🙂
“to marvel how eternity is written
deep within our hearts and concealed
soft within every living thing.”
Selah-h-h-h-h
Yes, indeed. Selah sounds very appropriate when considering eternal things. In our pausing and pondering we begin to sense so much more. Bless you, Laurie! I appreciate your presence here, my friend. xo