Beauty in Diversity

I had a little walk through the rose garden near to where I live and it’s so lovely and peaceful.  What caught my attention today was the fact that on the same bush, sometimes even on the same stem were rose buds, rose blooms, and roses that were past their best. 

Same soil, same time frames, same weather conditions and yet so much difference – and a difference that actually adds interest and beauty to the whole scene.

And I wondered about the kinds of expectations we have of one another.  The truth is that just because certain opportunities or conditions existed in which we all pass through, we will not all respond at the same time in the same way. 

I think our job is to appreciate and to encourage growth, don’t you?  The buds aren’t 2nd class because they haven’t completely opened up yet and the blooms that are beginning to shed their petals aren’t without value because they have offered their beauty for some time already. 

We’ve all had certain life experiences – certain opportunities, certain challenges – no two sets of life circumstances are the same for any of us – even though the circumstances we find ourselves in today may look similar to others. 

Only God knows what has brought us to this day and what we need to go forward well. 

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

And let us consider how to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together. Hebrews 10:24-25

And so, Loving God, as You have accepted us and see great value in us, just as we are in this day, we pray to do the same for others.  Help us to quit judging others by our life experience and instead focus on the gifts and beauty of who they are. 

Sometimes it’s ourselves we have to learn to accept in this moment.  Help us to quit comparing ourselves to others – whose life experiences are different from ours – and instead look to You, our Loving God, who knows where we are at in this day, what we are capable of right now, and how You want to support us as we live today.  Amen

Rather than comparing and judging one another, maybe it’s time to appreciate the beauty that the different seasons and different rates of maturing and flourishing bring to the whole picture.