When I moved into the Lake District a few year’s ago I realised it was just as beautiful as I had been told. Soaring mountains, which a few years ago I had climbed, wonderful lakes and beauty at every turn of the road or track. The only downside it is very crowded in the summer with nowhere to park and quieter in winter with inclement weather.
Standing at the bus-stop one day I couldn’t help saying to the young girl in the queue. ”Isn’t is beautiful here, the hills, the open spaces, the mountains. Don’t you think it’s wonderful!’ She looked at me with disdainful eyes, ‘Na, it’s too green.’ I was taken back and couldn’t think of a reply. How can God’s world be too green? Did she have a green allergy? She probably wanted more shops and night-life. Her thoughts were earthly and not heavenly.
George Robinson’s hymn puts it simply,
‘Heavenly above is softer blue, earth below is sweeter green,
Something lives in every hue, Christless eyes have never seen.’
As Christians we have eyes that can see God’s beauty which can be lost to others. Probably because we know the Creator and love Him. We, like Him, can see beyond the scars, the horrors and the tragedies.