This phrase has stuck in my head for weeks, and I'm not sure what to do with it.
When I finally created a separate publication from my Heaven Held digital magazine to house my (sporadic) personal writing, I realized I wanted this to be the heart behind my personal work.
I don’t want to pursue a slow life and miss living a sacred life.
Finding beauty and living intentionally (“smelling the roses”) is a wonderful mindset.
Sometimes, though, there simply are no roses around. Sometimes it’s barren land or pure destruction.
So, what do we do when there are no roses to smell? What do we do when there’s nothing to romanticize? What do we do when we can’t find beauty, or the desire to create it?
We don’t have to actually see the lilies in front of us to consider them and be reminded that the most beautiful things made by man will never compare to the beauty found in a simple flower made by God.
And if He clothes and cares for the fields, will He not clothe and care for His flock?
If something as common as a sparrow does not fall from the sky without Him knowing, will He not know what makes your heart heavy? If even the birds are provided for in the delicate balance of nature, will He not do that much more for you, sweet friend?
Matthew 6:28-29
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows
These verses comfort me and strengthen my faith when I have no will to find the good, beautiful, bright side of life.
The trap of romanticizing life in the world’s way is that it puts the burden on us to find and create the good and beautiful.
But God already does this and does it so much better through His creation! And even if there is nothing good and beautiful to see, God Himself IS goodness and beauty! The goodness and beauty we see in this world are simply reflections of Him overflowing from His exquisite excess.
So how can we romanticize life and look for the good when it feels like everything sucks?
We look up.
Psalm 121:1-2
“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.”
Thank you for your time and attention here. I hope we can encourage and offer wisdom to each other in this space as I unpack my own life through personal essays and podcast episodes that explore the intersection of faith, motherhood, culture, and what it looks like to trust God’s provision through it all.
How has someone encouraged you to look to God in the hard times? Leave a comment!
Much love,
(P.S. - if you like me and struggle with wanting to romanticize life while staying grounded in biblical truth, I wrote this article about how reframing “romanticizing life” as a biblical discipline helped me grow in contentment and stewardship of the life I have. I would love to hear your thoughts and if you have encountered anything similarly helpful!)
Thank you for taking the time to read the words on my heart. I want nothing more than to encourage others and learn from their wisdom in the community we are building here.
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Sarah, I really appreciated your words, "I don't want to pursue a slow life and miss living a sacred life." What a beautiful distinction! I think there's so much pressure these days to find beauty in every moment, but the truth is that some seasons of life are simply hard, and no amount of positive thinking can change that.
I especially appreciated your reminder that we don't have to create beauty or even find it in our circumstances because God Himself is the source of all goodness and beauty. The verses about the lilies and sparrows are such comforting reminders that nothing in our lives escapes His attention.
As someone who has lived with cerebral palsy my entire life and has also walked through breast cancer, I've experienced seasons when it was difficult to see anything beautiful in my circumstances. There were times when I was afraid, frustrated, or simply exhausted. I didn't always feel grateful or joyful, and I've learned that God doesn't expect me to pretend everything is wonderful when it isn't.
One thing my experiences have taught me is that God's goodness isn't dependent on whether my life is going well. Even during the hardest seasons, His love and faithfulness remain unchanged.
Thank you for reminding us that when life feels anything but beautiful, we don't have to force ourselves to see roses where there are none. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply look up and remember Who is holding us. ❤️