Don't Miss the Beautiful Things Around

When Frank Lloyd Wright was nine, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his uncle. As the two of them reached the end of the field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow’s flight, then young Frank’s tracks meandering all over the field. “Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again,” his uncle said. “See how my tracks aim directly to my goal? There is an important lesson in that.”

Years later, the world-famous architect told how this experience had greatly contributed to his philosophy in life. “I determined right then not to miss most things in life, as my uncle had,” he said.

 — Jeff Arthurs, “Life Goals,” 
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My Scar... It's a Thing of Beauty.

The young bride wore a gown with a low-cut front.  As she walked down the aisle, everyone could see, even from a distance, the ugly scar which ran from the base of her throat, disappearing into her gown.

A few people asked, " Why didn't you choose a dress that covered your scar?"

She explained, "A few years ago I had open-heart surgery, and my prognosis was not good.  But God brought me through those times.  So I wear my scar proudly.  It is my monument to God's grace.  It may be something that is perceived as unseemly, but to me, it has become a thing of beauty."

- Esther Chiumbu, quoted in Sermon Illustrations for an Asian Audience (OMF, 2004)