Beauty from the Web

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, 

for you will be filled.

Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry"

Luke 6:21a, 25a

 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

for they will be filled."

Matthew 5:6

Been thinking about the latest beatitude in our study as I wander the world-wide-web.  I've found some beauty along the way to share with you all...

A painting on a favorite blog, The Homespun Heart

Lovely painting by Monica at The Homespun Heart

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An excerpt from a post by Kathy Escobar

"a few days ago i walked a labyrinth with a friend.  no matter how long or short, whenever i carve out quiet time & get some silence & space to connect with God, i am always refreshed somehow.  nothing super exciting happened in the moment but i did have this strong and beautiful sense of God’s sureness underneath my feet as i walked.

it was the world’s ugliest labryinth (really) and it was a little windy & cold outside but as i walked i started noticing these little rocks that were sparkly & shiny here and there.  they were scattered within the stark brownness of the rest of the path.  i felt this sense of God whispering, “notice the beauty…don’t miss the beauty…see, it’s here…sometimes it’s hard to notice but it’s there.” in the middle of the mess of living in the trenches with people, sometimes i just get tired.  the needs always are bigger than our resources.  pain doesn’t magically disappear.  poverty is complicated.  abuse has long-lasting and brutal effects.  and a Jesus-centered life of descent as opposed to the life of ascent (even though that one’s taught in Jesus’ name, too) is definitely a bumpier road.

but that’s the road that Jesus is calling us to in the beatitudes.  it is a beautiful road.  and an ugly road (my friend deb made up a new word–beautifugly).  and most definitely the road i want to continue to walk because there’s so much to be learned here.

in the midst of Jesus’ seemingly-crazy-upside-down-living we can have deep peace. in the midst of longing for change in our own lives, in the lives of the world & the neighborhoods & churches & families, we can have deep peace.  in the midst of embracing our humanity & letting God work in our lives, we can have deep peace.  in the midst of actively pursuing justice & advocating for change, we can have deep peace.

God, help us be people who long for change, in our own lives & in the communities we live in.  and then, guide us as we act on those longings and pursue justice, integrity, wholeness and healing.  may we experience your deep peace in the midst."

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"Artistic Reflections on the Beatitudes of our Lord Jesus Christ" by Stephanie Miles at amentoart.com

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And from our study author's blog, an excerpt and this precious video about doing what we can and not despairing

"Of course many of you will not become Nobel laureates or change the discourse of the church. And giving to the Least Coin Offering or making just choices like Fair Trade coffee can seem to be just a small action given the huge challenges of hunger and thirst for food and for justice in our world today.

And it is when we despair that the saints are there to remind us of what we need to do. Listen to Dr. Maathai talk about a hummingbird.

Then let us be like the hummingbird, like the cloud of witneses. Let us do what we can, even if it seems. And, as we remember the Advent of our Lord at the end of this month, let us look forward to the day when Jesus will come and say to us, "I was hungry, and you gave me food." "