Last night I had the rare enjoyment of watching the sun set. The sky displayed a beautiful light blue, soft and inviting as the golden sun shone with brilliant color. I thought to myself how astounding the site was, as if the beauty was at its peak. But as time progressed, the light blue hues nearer to the sun became a bright, crisp yellow, as the color deepened into a golden bronze the further from the sun it traveled. Again I thought wow, how astounding this site is. I was content in the beauty of the moment and thought this sunset had reached its height of beauty. Yet again, as more time passed, my heart was exhilarated as I watched the final feat of the evening show. The sky nearest to the sun, now hidden behind the trees, was a bright yellow interwoven with gold. There were brief glimpses of the soft light blue, both colors bleeding into a deep pink with dazzling color, tinted with dark blues and slight purples. It looked like a painting, a perfect picture, a glorious display of a brilliant artist. I gazed with awe at the magnificent expanse, its beauty left me at a loss for words.
Why share all this? Because as I was walking that hour, watching each phase of the sunset and thinking that the beauty I saw was at its peak, only to see it become progressively even more beautiful, the Lord spoke something to my heart. We too experience times and season of beauty in our lives, where everything seems good and we feel satisfied. Or maybe we’re at a place in our lives where we wish time would freeze and those special moments would never end. Perhaps in our spiritual lives we think we’ve grown and conquered enough ground and now want to remain in this fulfilling place of comfort and peace. I think we all know, that’s just not realistic and God, who knows best, knows that’s not actually healthy for us or for our good. So what does He do instead? He refines us, He tests us, He allows us to undergo trials and challenges, and He invites us to experience daily transformation and ongoing sanctification. This isn’t always comfortable, is it? It’s painful sometimes, can feel hopeless at times, can cause us to question everything we know, and take what feels like forever to get out of. But the beauty that results is absolutely breathtaking and even more beautiful than before the hardship or testing. A beauty we hadn't thought possible.
It’s a beauty that reveals a greater measure of the redemptive work of the Creator in us, the glorious work of the Savior in us, the wonder of what only God can do through us.
A beauty that teaches us more about who our God is, who we are, and what His plans and purposes are for our lives and the world in which we live. A beauty we now wouldn't want to live without....and will only continue to see develop into greater beauty.
Be encouraged, dear sister – God is producing a greater beauty in and through you.
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