Broken World Full of Hope

I felt a surge of excitement when I came upon this treasure one morning. It was as if I stumbled upon the Fountain of Youth or the headwaters of the Nile. Here before me was the unspoiled source of the sidewalk art I so enjoyed over my daily walks this past Spring. The colors of the chalk are varied, bright and fresh, ready to be used by the artist to brighten the world a bit. What might this chalk become? The possibilities are endless.

It is amazing that beautiful things often begin so simply. A clean sidewalk and a piece of chalk. A blank canvas and paint. A pristine sheet of paper and a poet’s heart. Staff paper and a composer’s ability to notate what they hear in their head. Freshly tended soil and fragile flowers. Silence and loving words.

Part of the mystery and adventure of life is that we can never be sure which simple thing we stumble upon just might be the start of something beautiful for us. Each day holds such possibilities. The new people we meet. The new experience we encounter. The author we read for the first time. The insights that come to us in our quiet time or on a walk. All of these, and more, just might be the simple start of something beautiful. We never can tell.

This is why we should live with open eyes and open hearts. The world, as broken as it seems, is still full of God and hope and possibility. We human creatures, as broken as we seem, are still capable of finding and creating love and beauty in the midst of all our brokenness. It appears to me that the key is to not forget that the most beautiful things often grow from simple beginnings.

Peace.