Eyes to see the fainthearted and weak...

It's early summer and the beautyberry blossoms pale pink, leaving green berries on the tall slender stalks Louis planted along the backyard fence. Pollen-laden bees buzz about, tapping into the tiny, clustered flower's nectar.

It's with a camera in my hand and a mindset to cultivate "an eye for life's mercies" that I discover the dark purple berries of the beautyberry bush hidden entangled in potato vines in the thickets along the creek one fall afternoon several years ago. 

I begin to notice beautyberry everywhere - along the back road off the highway, under the low-hanging branches of a neighbor's Australian pines, and in the dappled shade of the scrub oaks behind the pasture.

How could I have missed such glorious beauty for so many years?  

I hear that brothers and sisters in Christ are struggling and that others have left the faith for an ungodly lifestyle and I'm grieved that I failed to see the brokenness in their lives that led to despair.   

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV

Thank You, Lord, for a camera to capture and eyes to see beauty, but I also need eyes to see the fainthearted and weak - and the wisdom and patience to love them back to You.