Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Job 40:1–42:17, 2 Corinthians 5:11–21, Psalm 45:1–17, Proverbs 22:14

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You Just Gotta Look

Have you ever been so busy that you drove somewhere and barely remembered the drive?

We can do that with life too.

We get focused on where we’re going, what needs to be done, what’s wrong, or what we wish would change. Meanwhile, we pass right by a beautiful sunset, flowers blooming along the road, birds singing outside the window, or someone we love laughing in the next room.

The beauty was there.

We just didn’t notice it.

Today the Holy Spirit reminded me in this Gem of Knowledge,

“There is beauty all around you. I created the earth and sky to be beautiful for you to enjoy. Take time to see the beauty in your life. It’s everywhere. You just gotta look. Amen.”

I love how simple that is: You just gotta look.

God didn’t have to make this world beautiful.

Think about that for a minute. A tree could have served its purpose without changing colors in the fall. The sky didn’t have to turn brilliant shades of pink, orange, and purple when the sun goes down. Flowers didn’t need thousands of different colors and shapes. Mountains didn’t need to take our breath away. Birds didn’t need beautiful songs.

God could have made everything purely functional.

But He didn’t.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God “has made everything beautiful for its own time” (NLT). Beauty wasn’t an accident. It was part of His creation. He created a beautiful world, and then He gave us the ability to recognize and enjoy it.

In today’s reading from Job, God continues pointing to the incredible details of His creation—the mighty Behemoth, the mountains where wild animals play, lotus plants growing beside the river, and the strength and beauty found throughout the natural world. God draws Job’s attention to things that were already around him, reminding him of just how much there was to see beyond his own circumstances.

Job had spent chapter after chapter looking at everything that had gone wrong in his life. And understandably so. He had experienced tremendous loss and suffering.

But then God began showing him something bigger.

There was still a whole world beyond Job’s pain.

That doesn’t mean Job’s suffering didn’t matter. God wasn’t telling him to pretend everything was wonderful. In fact, by the end of today’s reading, God restores Job and brings beauty back into his life.

Maybe there’s something for us in that.

We can acknowledge what is hard and still notice what is beautiful.

Sometimes we think we need a perfect life before we can really enjoy it. Once this problem is solved, once we have more money, once the schedule calms down, once the relationship gets better, then we’ll be happy.

But while we’re waiting for everything to be perfect, we’re missing pieces of beauty God has placed right in the middle of today.

It might be your morning coffee while the house is still quiet. A breeze through an open window. Your grandchild reaching for your hand. A favorite song coming on at exactly the right moment. Clouds rolling across the sky. Someone making you laugh when you needed it.

Those things may seem small, but small doesn’t mean insignificant.

Sometimes they’re little reminders:

God is here. Life is still beautiful. There is still good to be found.

Paul says in today’s reading that when we belong to Christ, we become a new person: “The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT).

Maybe part of living that new life is learning to see differently—to stop rushing past everything God has given us and actually enjoy some of it.

You don’t have to travel somewhere beautiful to find beauty.

You don’t need a perfect day.

You don’t even need everything in your life to be going well.

Just slow down long enough to notice what’s already there.

Because God says it’s everywhere.

You just gotta look. 💎

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take time to be with the Lord today, even if its only 5 minutes. Ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want me to know about this personally?”
  • Journal what He gives you through His Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what He reveals – then do it!

Today, intentionally look for the beauty in your life and be grateful.

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Prayer

Dear Father, thank You for filling this world and my life with beauty. Thank You for Your beautiful Son and all the beautiful gifts He brings me. Forgive me for the times I’ve been so focused on what’s wrong or what needs to be done that I’ve missed what You’ve placed right in front of me. Help me slow down and notice Your goodness in the big things and the little things. Open my eyes today, Lord. I don’t want to miss the beauty You’ve given me to enjoy. In Jesus’ beautiful name I pray, amen.

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