Goodness. Beauty. Wonder. Charm. We are surrounded by them daily. In endless ways. In people, situations, nature, things we perceive with our senses and realities we know through reason and faith. They perpetually flourish and evoke undying effects for the better. They refuse to be limited and never cease to amaze us because they are attributes of a Creator Who is almighty and everlasting. Oftentimes, most forms of this foursome stare us boldly in the face, we recognize them immediately and embrace them entirely. In other cases, we slowly become better acquainted with them as we live this blessing that is life…trying, failing, succeeding, learning. Then there are those times we only find and appreciate them after a very conscious and painful search and cultivation.

Humanity’s fallen nature can easily remain or become indifferent, numb and blind to some of these priceless treasures. Pieces gradually slip through the cracks and become lost to us in the ordinary humdrum. Suddenly, we fall under the impression that the stings and challenges of life outdo the good, the beauty, the wonder and the charm. Life becomes just a nearly unbearable burden. Such an unfortunate, unnecessary state of affairs!

We are fallen creatures in a fallen world. The reality of hardship is oh-so-real and here to stay. The reality of goodness, beauty, wonder and charm is also oh-so-real and here to stay. So, let’s throw open our souls, minds and hearts to see and embrace, to search for and find, to cultivate and appreciate THAT. It’s a process and practice that can form a habit with unshakeable roots that transforms our daily life. It does not deny the struggles and monotony; it does not eliminate pain and suffering. It does, however, possess the ability to balance out and even outweigh the unpleasantness, the harshness, the bitterness. We will no longer be sentenced to succumb to simply drudging through our daily duties and trials. Instead, we can take the ordinary humdrum, push the negative to the side, maybe even peel away the negative permanently and reveal the good, beautiful, wonderful, charming ordinary.