Beauty is in the Eye....

Today, I took an adventure with 3 of my friends.   It was a photo adventure (later called "Photo Safari"), in which we hopped in the truck with a full tank of gas, and just drove until we found something we wanted to take pictures of, then stopped.   Our adventure took us off-roading, had us hiking through the clay of the Red River, and all over the southern part of Oklahoma.     

Aside from getting to spend some much needed girl time and getting out of the city, we got some great pics.   But, it was only because we were looking for great photos opps.   I had been on several roads in southern Oklahoma before, and, to be honest, hated it.   I'm much more of a city girl, and there are no "cities" along the country roads of southern Oklahoma.     This time, though, was different.   The plot of land with rusted out farm trucks and equipment became art rather than junk.    The dried up shore of the lake became an interesting picture.   And those dilapidated buildings became historical novelties.    All of this simply because we were looking for something different.    

It got me thinking (dangerous, I know!).    What if we took "photo safaris" in our real-life circumstances?    What if the junk pile in our backyard, the shattered buildings of our dreams, the dried up riverbeds of our hopes all held a different kind of beauty?    What if we searched out the beauty in those broken places of our lives?   Would we be amazed at what we find?    Maybe, just maybe, we would experience joy and adventure, rather than hating the journey.   

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 

 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Isaiah 61:1-3 (emphasis mine)