See the Soul

Last week I posted a photo of the lily-of-the-valley,

still green, without full blooms.

A few days later, I caught this picture of the beautiful white bells.

What if I'd only noticed this sweet plant in all its glory, 

with bells on and beautiful.

I would have missed the wonderment of the stages of growth.

I love the words "If only we saw souls." 

I would see the heart of the person,

the stages of growth, or the need for encouragement.

I'd see the worth and the beauty of a soul struggling to make it through the day,

or the soul who reaches out and lifts others up.

Seek to look at the soul and see the true beauty.

 

What do Bells have to do with It?

A few years ago, I had the privilege to listen to a bell choir. The group of students chimed out some beautiful Christmas carols.

Bells have long been associated with Christmas. From jingle bells on Santa's reindeer to Juju's teacher in It's a Wonderful Life proclaiming, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings." 

Long before the jingling bells, St. Paulinus of Campania in Italy requested a bell-tower be built with a large bronze bell used to call his congregation to worship. On Christmas he chimed the bell four times, in celebration of Christ's birth.

Casting Crowns sings one of my favorite Christmas songs, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. The song calls for peace on earth, much like the angels who sang to the shepherds.

Kerensa, Paul. Hark!: the Biography of Christmas. Lion, 2017.