Love sees people and life honestly, and engages in constructive and beautiful ways that make a difference.  This difference impacts both the people living out of love, and all the people their lives touch.

I use the word “beauty” broadly, to include interactions, kind gestures, thoughtful details and plans, details that combine to create an hour or day … any sort of thing we can do in a creative and beautiful way!  Our choices to pursue beauty and goodness make all the difference in who we become and how we live out our days.

Cottonwood Wash, Washington, Utah.

I want to invite you to peek into the kind of outings the girls and I embark on in the summer!  These outings create beauty in our days, with shared moments together and enjoying God’s creation.  Part of “seeing people” means to understand what an individual prefers and enjoys, and seeing my girls is part of what shapes the way I create beauty in our days!

We began this particular week in need of a little encouragement and boost of hope.  I asked each girl where we should go on an outing.  (I shared in an earlier post about how hope and love intertwine; I also shared my Hope-Giving List, which includes “Create beauty in our days” and “Appreciate beauty.”)  Ellie chose an outing to a pool, and Aubrey chose this outing: going to Cottonwood Wash, one of our favorite nearby places.

The very brief “planning” (confession, I am a planner!) consisted of tossing a picnic breakfast of yogurt drinkables and baggies of cereal and waters in a backpack.  With southern Utah summers, we have to get out the door pretty quickly in order to beat the heat!  We had a lovely little outing, and were even in for a delightful surprise – the creek was teeming with tadpoles!

This outing was the result of seeing the people in my life and some intentionality, and it made a difference in our day!  A series of choices like this makes a difference in a week, a month, a lifetime.  I am mentoring my girls’ hearts, teaching them to choose hope and see how their responses affect their emotions and attitudes, as well as shaping their future.   And sweet benefits of our outing were enjoying God’s creation and a special bit of time spent together.

God is our role-model; out of love He created tremendous beauty for us!  He is Love, and the Source of all beauty.  In the beginning God created everything, and He said of His creation, “It is good.”  He created people in His image, and He spent time in the garden with these people He loved.  As His image-bearers, we reflect His nature when we live out creativity and beauty and love.

There are many seasons in life and the circumstances of our lives might look quite different.  And we each have different people to “see.”  The possibilities are endless, such as the creative work it takes to plan meals around a food allergy, praying for people and writing notes …  But we all have opportunities to create beauty!

What opportunities are there to create beauty in your day or week, that will make a difference for you and others in your life?