A Beauty in the Rough

Father, this post from a few years ago has come to mind several times in the last couple of weeks. It is worth resharing…and updating. May it speak to those who need to hear its words. Amen.

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Shortly after my elementary route began this morning, I crossed a small bridge on a county road. Under the bridge was a small stream and all around this area was hilly, wooded terrain. There were absolutely no signs that anyone had ever lived in this spot or would ever choose to. But…as I crossed the bridge, and from the height advantage of my bus, I spotted a small cluster of blooming daffodils in all their splendor! There they sat gloriously amongst the decaying leaves, fallen branches, and mud from all the rain we have had of late – beauty in the rough!

I have a child on my route who has been, to say the least, a handful. So much so that for her own safety she has been placed in a harness. Each morning I have to buckle her in, which takes a bit of time. She is little but fierce! And in all truth, her upbringing has significantly contributed to this. But in the midst of it all, she has been sweetly compliant. I find myself not calling her by name but instead “Hun” or “Dear”. Truly she is a beauty in the rough.

Many of us have people in our lives that make life difficult. They don’t cooperate. They fuss. They whine. They cry. And they may even throw an occasional temper tantrum. Whether they are family, coworkers, or total strangers, we can’t just write them off as not worth the effort.

If there is anything that we can learn from Jesus’ time here on earth – and really the way God feels about every single one of us, all the time – is that people are always worth the effort! He invested the totality of His love in redeeming us – no matter how unworthy we may feel. And just as He did for us, we must strive to seek out and redeem beauty in the rough.

But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 _AMP

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This little beauty is now in the third grade. Her family, by necessity, had moved out of the area for a time and just this school year they are once again in our schools. I have been blessed to see and talk with her a couple of times. I’m sure her home life is still a challenge (putting it mildly), but she seems to be thriving. (A major contributing factor is that she was blessed to have my wife in first grade. Karen loved and encouraged her, and it shows!) From my interactions with her, she is beautiful both inside and out! A beauty in the rough indeed!

(Apr 8^th, 2019, Mon, 9:48 am)
Mar 28^th, 2023, Tues, 7:09 pm