A Beautiful kind of Ugly

I awoke this morning eager to run with the Lord. It was a beautiful sunrise, and all was calm outdoor, so I planned to run fast, and hard, and long but ten minutes down this unfamiliar dirt road I was stopped by the presence of God's beauty. There past a little clearing in the wood, was the lake. Beautiful, calm and captivating. The rays of sun lay on top of the still water, bringing forth steam that slowly rose up. Lily pads and cat tails dotted the shore line; God was romancing me. I sat for quite some time just resting, breathing and watching. Then I talked to Him. Random thoughts and requests and gratitude fell from my lips. "Daddy I love you. God where are You leading me? Lord please help them. Jesus keep me focused." I love spending time with Him; He makes me smile. When I realized that I was going to be late for the flagpole meeting if I didn't head back, I got up, put my headphones back on and began to run the road. As I ran the sun shone directly on my face, and it drew me forward. But then I looked back, to see where I came from and it was nice, but not as nice as the sun that was ahead of me. I kept moving forward. This whole summer God has been doing one thing after the other, and it has been so good. But each week He says, "keep coming, keep walking forward; I've got more for you." I never know what the Lord has set in plan for me, or what new and exciting, or hard and trying thing He has next. I should be afraid because I feel like I'm walking down the street blindfolded, yet I am comforted because my Savior is holding my hand and guiding me down the street saying, "Just take my hand and trust in me. You will be just fine."

After realizing this, I saw a huge spider web and a huge ugly spider beside it. The web was beautiful, like a piece of artwork, with the morning dew speckled along its pattern. However that spider was creepy and ugly. Then I thought of how God sends me butterflies sometimes and I wished to see one. Not a moth though... eww I hate moths, they are so ugly and gross. They may fly and have wings, but butterflies were better by far. Then the Creator said, "Aisha, why do you like the web, but not the spider? And why do you like the butterfly but not the moth? Did I not create those too, just as I created that beautiful lake you just sat in front of?" I was guilty. I favored the beautiful and shunned the ugly.

Do I do that with people? Do I ever spend more time loving and enjoying beautiful people, or those easy to love and enjoy? I think I tend to inch myself away from the difficult ones sometimes, and that's not right or fair...because God created those ones too. He takes all things we deem ugly and makes them beautiful. In Him they are not the scary kind of ugly, or the creepy kind, they are the beautiful kind of ugly. He created those ones too.