By: Ginger Hughes
Recently, my children came bounding in from school with their dad following a few steps behind. Little hands clutched book bags, rain jackets (that we prefer to hold rather than wear), and a few unidentifiable art projects. Crushed amongst this chaos, my little girl held a lavender rose: a gift from someone at school. “Look at this rose, Mama. Isn’t it beautiful?” she exclaimed proudly!
I took in the scene, and couldn’t help but notice the lavender rose was bent in the middle like someone attempting a too aggressive yoga move and getting stuck. In the process of getting out of the car and gathering all of her belongings, that long-stemmed rose had taken quite a beating.
Her daddy looked down and said, “Oh no Sweetie, your rose is bent!” Our girl quickly replied with absolute certainty, “It may be bent Daddy, but it’s still beautiful. I think we can fix it.” She walked confidently into the kitchen holding her bent rose, showing it to me proudly. “Isn’t it beautiful, Mama?” she asked again sweetly.
She began fumbling through the kitchen drawer, mumbling something about needing glue or tape. I offered her a vase, liberally trimmed the bottom of the stem hoping it would aid its ability to stand tall once more, and slid it carefully down in the water. I assured her that I thought it would be just fine without the help of the glue stick she wielded, though she was clearly unsure. It was beautiful, and surprisingly, that rose adorned our kitchen table for several days.
Her perception of this beat up rose made me think about how differently children see the world. At times, I believe they see it more clearly than we do as adults. Think about it for a moment:
We see bent. They see beautiful.
We see dirt. They see mud pies.
We see rain. They see an opportunity to splash in puddles.
We see a sticky mess of glue stick, paint, and glitter. They see a beautiful work of art.
We see wrinkles. They see the familiar.
We see different. They see a new friend.
We see color. They see an individual soul.
Children seem to have this knack for seeing the best in people, places, and things. They see the beauty and not the brokenness. Actually, if you think about it, they seem to have the eyes of Christ. Perhaps that’s why Jesus Himself said, “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
Lord Jesus, open my eyes that I might see as clearly as a child. Amen.
-Ginger Hughes is the wife of a pastor, a mother of two and an accountant. She is a Georgia native currently living in the foothills of North Carolina. Her passion for writing is fueled by the desire to offer encouragement, grace and a deeper understanding that we are all God’s children. Her blogging for Nurturing Faith is sponsored by a gift from First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Ga. Additional writings may be found at nomamasperfect.com.
