Hidden Beauty

There is an age-old question that asks, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?” I propose a slightly varied question. “If a flower grows and no one sees it, is it still beautiful?”

The last couple of weeks, God has blessed my part of the world with wonderful weather. The birds, trees, and flowers have all responded with joy. Buds and blossoms now populate the landscape in abundance, distracting drivers and causing many to look with awe at the world’s new decor. Color splashes across our land at a pace that is shocking; every day we see another tree or bush that has exploded in buds and blossoms.

If A Flower Grows And No One Sees It, Is It Still Beautiful?

The last two weeks have been hectic for me, but last night I had time to wander the yard before sundown. After all, the change to daylight savings time gave all of us an “extra” hour of daylight to enjoy.

Our camellia bush has gone crazy this year, blooming profusely. No cold weather killed the buds before they could open; no chill turned the flowers brown. Examining the bush in awe, I realized there are buds and blossoms so crowded inside the bush that I can’t even see them all! Had I not stopped to investigate the bush closely, I would never have noticed these gems hidden inside the foliage. But this crowding of flowers, this hidden beauty, is what brought the question to mind. “If a flower grows and no one sees it, is it still beautiful?”

Unseen Beauty

Plants bloom around the world, adding color to deserts and mountain tops. Flowers fill crevices and gardens. Some items we plant ourselves. Many are planted by an unseen hand. Some of those are sprinkled in areas where people wander by and observe the beauty. But many of those plants grow in locations where the bloom is never seen by a single human soul. Is that flower still beautiful?

I tend to see things pretty straightforward. In my mind, the answer to the age-old question has always been that if a tree falls, it makes a sound, regardless of who is or is not around to hear it. In that same frame, my opinion is that beauty is beauty wherever it is, seen or unseen by human eyes. As far as I’m concerned, unseen beauty is simply “hidden beauty.”

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

In the book of Genesis, we read that God created the world and all that is in it. Several verses in chapter 1 tell us “God saw that it was good.” The universe He created was beautiful in His eyes. All that He made even before humans were here to see His creation, He called good. When He completed His creation, having made “man in His own image,” we are told that “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”

We probably have all heard the statement, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Humans are often arrogant enough to think we are the only ones who “behold,” when in reality, God Almighty is the one who truly, completely beholds. He beholds all of His creation, and He sees more than we see. He sees flowers growing by a mountain stream even when no person ever sees them. And He sees each person on this planet, no matter how important they are in the world’s eyes. He sees each individual as beautiful, just as each flower He created He calls lovely.

Do we see as God sees? Can we, will we, look for the “hidden beauty” that is around us? The hidden beauty in the landscape? The hidden beauty of our neighbors and strangers? All of God’s creation is full of beauty; watch for it!

Bloom Where You Are Planted

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Bloom where you are planted.” When I hear that statement, I picture a flower growing out of a rocky mountain slope where no one but God can see it. In my mind I can imagine the Creator smiling at the color and design of that one little bloom. It’s hidden from human eyes, but beautiful in God’s sight. I picture that flower, unseen by anyone but the Creator, bringing Him joy.

I love that mental image and want to identify with that lone, hidden flower. If that flower is doing what it was meant to do, glorify its Creator, then it’s OK that it’s not in a royal bouquet or in a grand garden observed by hundreds of patrons. What matters is that it is showing off the handiwork of the Almighty King who gave the flower its beauty, and that is enough.

The God Who Sees

A flower that blooms where no one but God can see it is lovely; we just miss out on that beauty. But even if hidden from the eyes of all on this planet, the flower is not hidden from the One who gave it life. And so it is with people. Just like flowers, whether we are “seen” by others or not, God sees us. Others may miss out on our hidden beauty, but God misses nothing. His eyes see all.

Genesis 16:6-13 tells the story of Hagar who ran away when mistreated by Sarai. Alone in the wilderness, “the Angel of the LORD found her.” Words of grace and kindness were spoken to Hagar by this Being, and she “called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees.”

Hagar was a maid to Sarai. While human standards of that day permitted Sarai to treat the maid as she did, God’s love demands something far different. He came to the runaway, the wounded, the hurt one. God saw the hidden beauty that Sarai ignored. He saw in Hagar a soul whom He loved. And He came to her to let her know He saw her…even in the wilderness where she hid, alone, visible to no one but the God Who made her.

The LORD Looks At The Heart

Not only does God see us wherever we are, He “sees” us! In 1 Samuel 16:7, Scripture tells us, “the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

We humans have a tendency to try hiding inside ourself. We try to prepare our outside self so others will see what we think of as beautiful. We forget that the One who made us truly “sees” us. He sees our innermost being. He knows our thoughts and our desires. He sees us completely. And He loves us. Just as we are. He sees in us “hidden beauty.” Because we have such wonderful motives and thoughts? Because we are so pure in heart? No. He sees us as beautiful because we are His creation. He knows us. And He loves us!

When you see the flowers blooming around you this spring, remember there are many you do not see, but God sees them all. When you see people who pass you in the stores or on the sidewalk at the parks, remember, God sees them and you and all the multitudes of others no matter where they are on this globe. And when you think in your private moments that you are alone and no one hears your heart, remember that the God-who-sees, sees you. He sees your soul. And He loves you.

God’s Hidden Beauty

We know there is created beauty that we simply never see. We know there are people around us whom we miss or ignore even though God sees them as beautiful. And we have the truth that God sees us as beautiful in His eyes even when people don’t see us that way. But what about the beauty of God Himself that is hidden from our eyes? God’s beauty that is beyond our comprehension, hidden even from our thoughts and our hearts? A beauty so spectacular that no man can look on Him and live?

“One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to inquire in His temple.”

Psalm 27:4

King David longed to behold the beauty of the Lord. He said this was his one desire. Some of God’s beauty is reflected in His Creation, but much is hidden except to those who truly want to see.

Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him.” Just as humans don’t care to reveal their heart to a stranger, God is only interested in showing all His beauty to those who revere Him, love Him, and desire to know Him.

Ask, Seek, Find

When God created the universe, He made it good. Mankind willingly rebelled against that great and good God, choosing self-will over the rule of such a beautiful, righteous King. Thankfully, our heavenly Father supplied the payment for our rebellion, sending Jesus Christ to pay the price for my sin and yours.

The hidden beauty of the Almighty is ours to see if we desire. But it only comes on His terms. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Purity of heart is ours only if we say, “Yes,” to His offer of a relationship with Him by grace through faith in Christ as Savior and as we allow His Spirit control over our will. His truth and glory are realities that exist, hidden from the eyes of those who don’t wish to see. But if you want to know the Creator of all beauty, if you desire to see Him and know Him, He longs to reveal Himself to you.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find…”

Matthew 7:7

God’s Takeaways

You are a “hidden beauty,” a creation of the Living God. He is the One who sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to pay the dreadful price required to redeem all of mankind from a life of death. If and when you accept this wonderful gift of His, you will see more hidden beauty than your mind can imagine, more than your eyes can otherwise see.

God made us beautiful and sin messed with that beauty. But God has redeemed us and wants to create in us a new heart, a beautiful heart. Our beauty may be hidden to many, but God sees us, every one of us. And He in turn wants us to see His amazing glorious beauty.

So much beauty is hidden in this world that our God has made. And there is even more and greater beauty in God Himself. My prayer is that our heavenly Father will give us a desire to see as He sees. That He will open our eyes to see both the beauty hidden in plain sight and the beauty that only He can unveil.

Stay alert; watch closely; look carefully. You’ll see beauty all around you. For that matter, you are part of that beauty! But be prepared. Keep your eyes open and your heart ready. Study the Word of God so you can know Him better. As you do, you’ll have the joy of our King and our God showing you more and more of His own glorious “hidden beauty!”

Photos by Carolyn Thigpen 2021