The heart of the beholder

This week my lovely friends Ian and Vanessa gave me some beautiful peonies cut from their garden. Here’s a close up of a couple in full bloom …

Aren’t they absolutely gorgeous? They are my favourite flower, especially in this particular light pink.

They were too beautiful not to draw and paint so I got my watercolours and acrylics out and completed this spread in my journal.

I found this quote by John Ruskin – though as my 10 year old informed me, flowers are also vital to the life of the planet!
And maybe they aren’t really for us but for the bees whose ultra violet sight would see them in a potentially even more beautiful way.

So whatever the reason for their existence, flowers give much pleasure to many people.

But what about those flowers that aren’t quite so beautiful? Like thistles, or dandelions? Do they pale beside the beauty of the peony or do we appreciate that they have a different kind of beauty?

I was reminded of a story I got from a friend which I have used in church services. The version below is a retelling of an old Sufi story.

A young man named Nasruddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wanting to eliminate these misfits, Nasruddin consulted with gardeners near and far, but none of their solutions worked.

Finally, Nasruddin traveled to the palace of the sheik to seek the wisdom of the royal gardener himself. But alas, Nasruddin had already tried all the methods the gardener recommended for getting rid of such troublesome weeds.

Silently they sat together for a long time.

At last, the royal gardener looked at Nasruddin and said, “Well then, the only thing I can suggest for these dandelions is that you learn to love them.”

I find this such a powerful metaphor, particularly alongside the beauty of the peonies. It’s easy to love a peony, but its much harder to love a dandelion, particularly when you think they marr your otherwise perfect garden.

And do we sometimes feel like that about people? There are people we find easy to love, and those we find more difficult. And often those we find most difficult crop up in our most perfect places. We might find ourselves thinking … ” if they weren’t around, life would be easier, better, more pleasant ….”.

But the fact is they are there, so instead of comparing our dandelions to peonies, we need to learn to love them as they are, where they are…

As H G Wells said “Beauty is in the HEART of the beholder” – not the eye, as this world would have us believe, but in the heart.

Jesus was asked which of the Ten Commandments was the greatest…

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

So while as Ruskin says, real flowers may bring us solace, so too we must bring solace to the metaphorical dandelions in our lives.

Life in all its fullness … now.

This is the letter B in my ‘A to Z of me’ art journal, inspired by Valerie Sjodin.

You can see my letter A entry here. I decided to do this journal just with coloured pencils and felt-tip pens so I could do it anywhere.

For all of us what we believe is a deep-seated part of our identity. Some beliefs we hold are helpful to us, others are less so. Our beliefs can help us achieve something, or can hold us back. Limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves and our capabilities prevent us from growing to be all we are meant to be.

My Christian beliefs empower me to be the very best I can be.

Sadly, for some people, religion (as opposed to faith) has scarred them and they wrongly associate faith and belief with the results of that religion experience. Some people use their beliefs to impose limitations on others, contrary to God’s will. I so wish this wasn’t the case, but the church, like the rest of society, is made up of flawed human beings. When I feel angry, annoyed or disappointed at someone or something to do with church, I remind myself that I too am imperfect, and that I’m a Christian because of Christ, not the church.

Probably the most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16 …

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.”

I love this verse, it captures God’s complete unconditional love for each and every one of us, and I hang on to that promise of eternal life. But for me, my beliefs aren’t just about what happens in the future, they are also about life now.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

My life with Jesus is full.

That’s why I believe … for today, as well as for tomorrow and for eternity.

Bloom anywhere

This is a card I made recently for someone who was retiring.

I love this sentiment. The point is that even if we have no control over where we find ourselves in life, we can still do what we are called to, in any context.

Sometimes we choose to be in a particular place at a particular time, and other times we can feel it’s not under our control. Sometimes we might yearn to be somewhere else but circumstances prevent us.

The point about this quote is that we can grow and bloom and be fruitful anywhere.

I teamed the ‘Bloom where you are planted’ phrase with the verse from Micah which just sums up our purpose in life.

‘And what does The Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ Micah 6:8

I wonder what kind of place the world would be if we all lived by this maxim? (Incidentally some translations say ‘love kindness’ instead of ‘love mercy’?).

Acting justly matters at all levels, whether individually in the way we treat those around us, or corporately when we accept responsibility for the way we use the World’s resources or take a stand against systems that oppress.

Kindness and mercy are also important both as individuals and in our corporate behaviour – intolerance and hatred have no place in God’s Kingdom.

And when we walk daily with God in humility, God waters and feeds us so that we really can ‘Bloom where we are planted.’

May the God of justice and mercy, allow you to bloom and grow wherever you find yourself.