There Is Still Beauty

Yesterday, we reflected on Psalm 16 as a psalm of perspective. I was especially struck by verse 6, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” This statement is an acknowledgment that the land that I was given, is good land.  

At one point in history, this was sung by people living in exile, who had no land… In exile, this statement is simply a metaphor. It is an acknowledgment that even in the darkest valley, even in the most trying times, even with everything stripped away, there is still beauty and goodness and grace. 

It wasn’t until as a young man, I started to travel and see a little more of the world that I began to get a larger sense of perspective. I remember in Mexico, seeing for the first time children begging on the street. I remember in Nicaragua, seeing families living under plastic tarps huddled in the pouring rain with smoldering fires. Then, I remember living in Jamaica, complaining about the lack of trash pick up and the scarcity of running water, when a friend and only a friend can say this, said, “Look, Joe. You won the birth lottery. You have nothing to complain about.” 

It’s true… He could have gone on to say: You were born in North America – not Mexico, not Honduras, not Malawi or Jamaica. Ultimately, you will go home to a country where there is decent health care, and running water every day, and where education is available to everyone. Joe, the boundary lines for you have fallen in pleasant places.

If only we have eyes to see.

I think again about the psalm, sung by people living far from home – not by choice. They could have so easily become cynical, bitter, or angry. But instead, they make a conscious choice to sing…

As I prayed yesterday, may you and I ever make a conscious choice to keep the reality of God’s blessings and presence before us. May our vision never become clouded with fear or bitterness or arrogance or resentment. And may we notice again that indeed the boundary lines have also fallen for us in pleasant places.

Let us pray: Loving God, there is no doubt that the journey into gaining perspective is a challenge for a lifetime. As we notice our blessing, empower us again to be a blessing. Grant us generous, compassionate hearts; through Christ our Lord. Amen.