Many of us feel passed over in a world that seems to place a high
value on outward beauty. But a short poem by Anthony Ewell
reminds us that physical attractiveness can be over-rated. He
writes:
As a beauty I am not a great star,
There are others more handsome by far.
But my face, I don't mind it,
For I am behind it,
It's the people in front who get the jar!"
Maybe you are not the most beautiful person in the world. And
maybe, as the poem suggests, it doesn't matter. There is hidden
beauty in each of us that can be experienced by anybody who cares
to explore.
Several times I have visited a natural wonder that is one of
the largest and most spectacular of its kind in the world.
Carlsbad Caverns is an immense series of limestone caves
extending under much of southern New Mexico (USA). Native Americans
took refuge in the gaping hole that is the main entrance, but they did
not venture far. A hundred years ago settlers in the area were
attracted to the opening by the awesome sight of
hundreds of thousands of bats swarming from the hole every summer
evening. Though a bat guano mining operation was set up, nobody
explored much beyond the bat's dwelling places.
Eventually, a cowboy name Jim White explored deeper. He returned
with fantastic stories of gigantic subterranean chambers,
spectacular cave formations and unbelievably stupendous sights.
Even in 1915, after black and white photographs were taken of the
caverns, many did not believe. The government sent skeptic Robert
Holley to investigate in 1923. He wrote in his final report, "I
am wholly conscious of the feebleness of my efforts to convey in
words the deep conflicting emotions, the feeling of fear and awe,
and the desire for an inspired understanding of the Divine
Creator's work which presents to the human eye such a complex
aggregate of natural wonders."
A whole new world - majestic, wondrous and awe-inspiring - lay
hidden from view. Its unimagined beauty can only be experienced
by exploring beneath the surface.
And so it is with people. We each possess a unique inner beauty
that can be discovered by anyone who cares to explore beneath the
surface. You may have even successfully hidden it from yourself,
but that does not mean it is not there.
Outward looks simply don't matter. Who we really are lays beneath the
outer landscape like a magnificent subterranean palace. When you look
for beauty beneath the surface, you will see what others have missed.
And you will be rewarded beyond measure.
From Lifesupport
Lifesigns Life Quotes
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