When the Ugly Becomes Beautiful by Tammy Blackburn

     I am a nature lover at heart. It just seems that nature is where I see God most clearly. I’ve done quite a bit of traveling and have seen some of the most gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and animals that one could ever imagine. I cannot even begin to describe how my entire being longs to praise my Father God each time I encounter His beautiful handiwork. I’m equally moved when I simply sit and watch the beautiful birds at the bird feeder in my backyard.

    Recently, I spent a couple of days at the beach with my children. I absolutely love the ocean and could sit and soak in its beauty for hours. It is so vast and so powerful that I can’t help but be reminded of how awesome our God is. The waves crashing on the shore are like a song being offered back to their Creator. The moon shining on the water at night seems to be a reflection of God’s Majesty. One afternoon while we were there, we were sitting in our room having lunch when the ugliest blackbird landed on our balcony. He walked right up to our sliding glass door and appeared to be watching us. It was actually quite comical the way he bent his neck to see what we were doing. My son decided to try and open the door and give the ugly bird a few crackers. Lo and behold, this bird ate every piece and wanted more. He wasn’t afraid of us, and as we continued to be entertained by him, I wondered why a beautiful bird couldn’t have landed there instead. My daughter sat down by the door and commented on all the colors in this ugly bird’s feathers. It crossed my mind that she might possibly be colorblind. I sat down there with her and sure enough, there was an amazing rainbow of colors shimmering along his body. I also noticed that his beak and feet were an unusual shade of red and his eyes were stunning.

     Suddenly, I realized that God was teaching me a lesson. What I had judged to be something ugly and unimportant was just as much His creation as everything else I had been enjoying. I began to wonder how often I look past things that seem ugly or unattractive to me. I have no trouble praising God for the things I find beautiful, but do I ever praise Him for the things that annoy me? Do I find Him in the mundane things in life? Do I see His glory in what seems to be the ugliness of this world?

     Jonah chapter 3 tells us that God provided a worm to eat up the plant that was shading Jonah’s head. It also says that God provided a scorching wind and a blazing sun to cause Jonah to grow faint.  Now, we could say that those were some ugly things, yet God’s hands orchestrated them. He used them to teach Jonah a valuable lesson.

     I’ve spent the last couple of weeks praying for God to help me see Him in unusual and seemingly ugly places. He has definitely been answering that prayer. I challenge you to do the same. Let God show you something beautiful in what seems to be something ugly. Let Him show you Himself, and then praise Him for His creation.