BEAUTI-FULL.

It was a drizzly, cold day here in Georgia yesterday. The kind of day that just makes us want to hang onto our cup of coffee or green tea as we hum around and work inside our studio.   With the snow falling on the northeast coast though, we decided not to complain about the weather here in Georgia. Instead, we made a choice to look, really look, for the beauty that is out there when the landscape is a bit dreary.
Look what we found "blooming" outside on a gray, drizzly day!  A flourishing lichen, spilling shades of celadon, lemongrass and smoky blue all over the day. What a beautiful sight.  We probably would've never noticed how full of beauty this little lichen was, hanging onto a weathered wind chime, if everything was blooming all around it.  The stark surroundings just seem to frame it in for a perfect photo session and sharing with you today.

                                                                                             
It's kind of made us think about the beauty that God sees in us, regardless of what is or has been going on in our lives.  We could have been going through a winter time of sorts in our minds, our outlook, our circumstances, but God still sees the beauty in us, the beauty He has for us, the beauty He longs to infuse into our lives.  Even if the weather, the attitudes, the day, have shaped up to be one large pile of ashes, He promises to bring ..."beauty out of the ashes".

                                                                                               
  The Voice translation says it this way:
"God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes, to anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow, to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness." Isaiah 61:3

This promise was part of the framework for the artwork in one of our new mini-books that Divinity Boutique released this month.(In retail stores soon.) The mini-book was created with teens in mind, but it's a good read for anyone. A reminder that each of us are full of beauty,("Beauti-FULL"), in the eyes of the One who loves us most.  We hope you'll pause and take in a little inspiration from the artwork below and then share it with someone who needs to be reminded of just how beautiful they are in God's eyes.

After all this talk about where beauty really comes from, we've been pondering that phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".  Perhaps a truer version would be something like this:
 "Beauty comes from the eyes of the One we behold."  Because, when we look at Him, focus on Him, The One who loves us most, created every detail about us, cares for us, and sees beauty even in our ashes...His beauty just spills out all over lives.  It's kind of like we exchange our thoughts, our misconceptions, our perceptions about us and begin to see ourselves as he sees us.  Beauti-FULL.  Just like the dry, crusty lichen, draped on the wind chime outside.

Have a Beauti-FULL day,
The Velvet Lime Girls