They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I
believe that there are some things that absolutely no one can deny the beauty
of, no matter the beholder.
Two of those things are the beauty of God’s wondrous
creation, Plant Earth, and the other is the beauty of the human soul. Now don’t
get me wrong, I know that there is a great deal of ugliness that invades
people’s hearts and minds but what I’m talking about is the radiant light that
comes from a soul renewed and reborn in the Holy Spirit. The beauty that can
pour forth from a sinful human being after Christ comes to dwell within their
soul. There’s a genuineness and fragility that is apparent. It’s the constant
struggle to keep faith, grow faith, and overcome the hardships of life while
still fighting and struggling to stay strong, kind, and loving in the face of
mistakes and tragedies that I find crushingly beautiful.
People have touched me deeply in just the few days I spent
with the Oras team. We were able to meet with a church of believers up river
and speak to others in that village and another that were struggling and needed
encouragement. It was amazing to see the similarities in their daily struggle
with faith as I’ve seen from the people back home in the states. It shows that
no matter where you are or how far away from home and familiar culture you are,
people are still people. They need fellowship with others and encouragement and
help just as much as anyone else.
I remember when I truly started my walk with God and it was
not at all an easy road to travel. I constantly stumbled and needed someone
there to help pick me up and show me the way. That person was always
Jesus, but I know that He used other people to help get through to me at times.
These people need the same and I truly hope that Jesus was able to use us to
pick someone up off the road and set them on the right path once more.
Now as for God’s creation, I am a huge advocate when it comes
to the beauty of nature. You can find a beautiful piece of nature in your back
yard or in the Himalayas. God’s creation is everywhere and noting even the
smallest pieces of beauty has become something of a hobby for me. This past
week I have been in no shortage of beautiful places in nature to behold. One
such example was a journey we took to get to a waterfall this past Thursday.
Now when Jethro, the son of the pastor of the church where we stayed and enthusiastic disciple, said that there was a big waterfall not
too far away we were all very gung-ho about going to see it (even though we all
secretly thought that when he said “big” it’d be maybe 10 feet tall at the
most).
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| If you look close you'll find Jethro and get an idea of just how big the waterfall really is |
This waterfall was huge! No not huge, gigantic!
I’m just guessing but I believe it was about 200ft.
And getting there was a challenge, let me tell you!
I'm of the opinion that God uses nature to remind us all of His great power and majesty. What we see here on Earth is but a pale representation of what is in store for us to see in Heaven. Just by looking at what He's created I'm filled with awe and such a great gratitude.
He blessed us that day with allowing us to see and experience such a hidden wonder and it was incredibly refreshing to the soul.
Next time you go out I challenge you to seek the beauty of the world in every place you go (even the backyard) and in every person that crosses your path
-Kiera for Team Oras
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| Jethro, Dea, & Gigi |
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| Our Little Guide |
