It was a hot afternoon when a few of my housemates and I walked up to the door of a house across the street. As we approached, it became evident the yard was once a garden someone loved dearly. It was once cared for and groomed, but now appeared slightly wild and unmanaged. I knocked on the door. After some time had passed, a man opened the door. His name was Peter.
[pullquote type=”right”]Sometimes I feel like Peter — like I can’t see the beauty I know is right in front of me.[/pullquote] Peter was gentle-natured. He had blue eyes that darted back and forth above our heads. We spoke to him about how we had recently moved into the neighborhood. He told us about himself. Among other things, he said he was legally blind and had lived alone since the passing of his wife. He wanted to know if his garden looked okay from the street, and we told him how much we liked the greenery in his yard.Sometimes I feel like Peter — like I can’t see the beauty I know is right in front of me. Like the garden of my heart is wild and unmanaged when I turn my face from God. But the Lord always comes to pull the weeds that tarnish my perception of what He has created to be good.
The Lord comes and reminds me that even if something looks unruly, it can still be dearly loved — and is unconditionally loved by Him who created it. So when I come across a person who I struggle to see the beauty in, I know they are beautiful in God’s eyes and I can rejoice in that beauty.
[pullquote type=”left”]But the Lord always comes to pull the weeds that tarnish my perception of what He has created to be good.[/pullquote] Because I am on the nonprofit leadership track, I spend a great deal of time behind the scenes doing the work that seems less exciting or important. However, I have seen the fruit of our work through the relationships we have built in Love Thy Neighborhood and our partnering ministries.God has been working in my life while I have been serving at Love Thy Neighborhood to remove my blindness so I can see the beauty in each and every person I encounter along my journey to serve the Lord. The beauty I have seen in the people I serve alongside, as well as the people I have met, is astounding.
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