Beauty In The Storm

My parents were visiting last week, and over the weekend we met up with my in-laws at our local botanical gardens. It was a dreary, rainy day and the indoor butterflies and blooms provided a cheery respite from the storm.

Near the end of our visit, we were sitting in the hallway when T-Rex kept asking Ked to take a picture of the flowers outside the window. Ked replied, “Buddy, I don’t think that would make a good picture, it’s raining.” T-Rex insisted, “Daddy! Take a picture of the flowers outside!” To appease him, Ked snapped a photo and then realized that he was on to something.

But he didn’t realize just how amazing the photo was until later that afternoon when he pulled it into photoshop.

While editing the photos, he zoomed in on the raindrops and discovered that in each one, the daffodils outside were perfectly reflected upside down. It’s beautiful, and we would have completely missed it if T-Rex hadn’t insisted the flowers were pretty and needed photographed, despite the storm.

It’s easy to see nothing beautiful in life’s storms at first glance. But I’ve found, many times, upon closer inspection, I can see reflections of God’s beauty and presence in the midst of the raindrops. The storm may seem mighty and never-ending, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t there, in the midst of it, offering us glimpses of Himself, if we are willing to look and pay attention.

2 Corinthians 4

verses 16-18

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (Emphasis mine)