Praise is the beauty of a Christian

“Praise is the beauty of a Christian. What wings are to a bird, what fruit is to the tree, what the rose is to the thorn, that is praise to a child of God.” ~ Spurgeon                        
  
In the topsy-turvy busyness of time, I move from one thing to the next, checking off duties and events like I am banking a stack of accomplishments so that I can prove that I am worth something and have done something with my life.  When the day is done and someone asks, "what did you do today?" I want to have good solid goods to show.  But what really shows?  Does anyone really care as much as I do that I got the laundry done----all 6 loads---and the errands completed and the bills paid and the house cleaned and the family fed?  Sure, all of that is important, but what about it is lasting?  What comes of it all?

When my kids are all home and they start talking about the things they remember most, it always surprises me that it is the little things that meant so much to them.  It was those times when I put everything aside to play with them in their toy room, or when we made Christmas ornaments together, or when I let them make up stories before bed.  They remember the "good stuff".  Those are the things that last.

And what about our connections with others?  Who are the people that make the deepest impressions?  Are they the ones who brag about how much they get done in a day, or about how much they have accomplished in their lives?  To tell you the truth, those people intimidate me and make me feel small.  No, the ones who make the sweetest impressions on me are the ones who actually look you in the eye when you are talking to them.  The ones who value the moment.  The ones who shine with hope and who share the positive side of the maybe not-so-positive circumstances.  The people who, instead of praising themselves or their accomplishments, praise God for the "good stuff" in life.  It's those kind of people that are the most beautiful to me.  

Yes, there has to be a bird beneath the wings, a rooted tree connected to the fruit, and a thorny stem under the rose.....but what matters is the bird taking flight in the sunny blue sky, defying the pull of gravity and soaring freely as God intended it to do.

  What nourishes, is the ripe succulent fruit on the branch that took many days of light and dark to be formed and to grow sweet. 



 And what brings joy to the heart is the velvety petals of a rose, opening wide to the sun in it's own time and space and loveliness.   

Perhaps the only way that we can show true lasting beauty is when we defy the gravity of the burdens of life, and fly freely toward the eternal promises of God.  And maybe the best way to reach out and help others is by sharing the fruits of the Spirit growing stronger as we draw from the roots of God's love? And if we offer a lovely aroma of praise instead of the thorns of anger and frustration, maybe others would take time to stop and smell the scent of the goodness of God?

Oh, how I need to stay near to Beauty Himself, because without God, I'm a wingless bird, on a dead tree full of thorns!  I praise Him for creating us in His image and covering us with His cloak of righteousness so that His beauty can be seen instead!