Tuesday, June 21, 2011

True Beauty

"We tend to cling to the small delights of this world, even to try and make them as permanent as we can. But this we can never do, for we are part of an eternal world. The things which lift our hearts or catch our breath with wonder or lift us into an ecstasy of delight in the here and now are merely those "inklings of eternity" to which I referred earlier; echoes of the eternal, changeless world to which, through Christ, we belong.

If we set our hearts on this world or "lay up treasure" in this world, death will be a bitter wrench. But if we have learned to lay up treasure in Heaven, to set our affection on things above rather than on things on earth, we shall find that there is not one lovely or beautiful thing which we have known here which will not be there, clear and true, permanent and indestructible."

J.B. Phillips, from the book, For This Day.

As I read this, I thought about all the beautiful things of nature we have seen on our trip south.  I thought, "Those were the things that thrilled my soul. Those were the things that made me feel sweet joy. Being in Reno and even Virginia City is nice, but nothing compared to being surrounded by the things God has created.

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