I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains. (Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl)
We complain freely. It is one right which we own well, the ability to express ourselves as we will. Daily. Social media has offered us an open-aired diary of thoughts unrehearsed. We freely give them unthinking and careless. They are reactions to a globe of people’s opinions spinning about carelessly their unchecked words, and untested phrases.
They hurt. They burn. They destroy. We comment and repost. Dirt on our hands. Unguarded hearts hurt both ways. The power of words. They bite.
A young girl named Anne Frank hiding in the dark and isolation of an attic during the German occupation – her life’s end in sight – gifted us with words worth sharing, words tried under the pressure of her circumstance. She chose. A choice that is given to each of us every day. She chose to see the “beauty that still remains”. Not just words on pages but thoughts turned into actions that comforted her soul. Misery was available. Death and torment were close by.
She looked up. She looked in. She quieted confusion by understanding, turning words around until they brought life again. Beauty or misery. Both can be rehearsed. Both can be shared. Both can be seen. Words can heal. They do not deny the misery but remember the truth. There is beauty.
What you choose to see, your heart will embrace.
Misery is all around us, available at every click of the keys. Global people sitting in isolation rehearsing misery. What shall become of us we cry! Look, what we choose to fix our gaze upon matters.
It pulls the misery into our soul. What beauty did she see from her attic hiding place? She saw the heavens, the creative work of God. His blue sky. His white clouds. His brilliant sun warming according to its creative command. The work of His hands. The smile of her father. The love of a friend.
Evidence of His beauty is available to be seen. Evidence that He is still faithful to His words. Evidence that brings life to faith. It is there and He is there, faithful, alive, at work. Even now, His beauty is all around us pointing to Him. It can be found on the pages of media. It can be found in the stars that shine in the darkest night. The “beauty that still remains”, still remains today in the smile, in the life, in His skies, in words kindly spoken, in encouragement and in “the lovely” all around us. If we can but choose to see it. His love at work in this world. Give it room to change our diary pages. Give it room to change what we say and what we see.
Whatever is lovely – think about such things. (Phil. 4:8)
Rommy Yrjölä