The standards we set

Do you ever feel you've set your standards so high that it inhibits you from ever trying to reach them?

I see the beauty in a woman's manicured hand.
Yet, it seems so beyond reach that I don't dare try.
...testifies my short, hastily cut fingernails.

I see the beauty in careful, flowing handwriting.
Yet, legibility seems to be my most attainable goal.
...testifies my future students while attempting to read the chalkboard.

I see the beauty in well formulated speech.
Yet, while always desirable, disillusionment ensues from lack of clarity and timeliness.
...testifies my friends who wait patiently as I stumble through my thoughts.

I see the beauty in a lifelong friendship.
Yet, the burdens of distance and the anticipation of new associations make me falter.
...testifies life-changing relationships that have come and gone.


Where is the beauty?

I see the beauty in God:
Does (blank) draw me closer to Him? -James 4:8
Does (blank) please Him? -2 Corinthians 5:9
Is (blank) done in the name of the Lord Jesus? -Colossians 3:17
Does (blank) increase my knowledge of Him? -Ephesians 1:17


Where is the beauty?

I see the beauty in God:
A father embraces a son who has squandered his inheritance.
A man returns again and again to his adulteress wife.
The majestic presence of a mighty God is found in the silence of a whisper.
A flower of the field, here today and gone tomorrow, appears more beautiful than the richest king's robes.
A new covenant for all people arrives wrapped in the vulnerability and dependency of a small child.


I see the beauty in God.
A beauty worth pursuing.