What can you see in a mud puddle? Maybe the answer depends on the angle of your view.
Following suggested activities in Soul Care for Writers by Edie
Recent rainwater filled the crater and offered clear reflections. I took a picture, then walked around the puddle and snapped photos from different angles. The reflection changed each time.
Angle One
My first view stirred an emotional response—that of disgust at the eyesore of a rut and impatience with my husband, who had not yet filled the hole with dirt so that grass could grow there once again. The mud puddle glared like a blight on my otherwise perfect view of the lawn.
Rather than appreciating the iridescent-winged dragonfly that hovered nearby, I assessed the water as a mosquito-breeding pool. Instead of enjoying surrounding beauty, I stared at the hole. A missed opportunity for joy!
How like the trials and inconveniences of life! When I focus on them, they can rob me of joy and turn smiles into frowns or peace into worry. The following verse shows us how to focus:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8
Angle Two
When I moved around the puddle to snap a shot from another angle, I noticed the r
When I tilted my head upward, my line of sight included a higher, more beautiful picture. I confessed my grumbling to the Lord, who changed my bad attitude to one of prayer, praise, and joy as He directed me to consider His goodness rather than my irritation.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2
Angle Three
When I changed positions again and placed my back to the sun, I saw my own shadow. Sunlight created an image of me in the water.
God created us in His image. Once we accept Christ as Savior, we become His image-bearers in this world. Sometimes my attitudes and actions do not represent Him well and require confession of sin. What a blessing that He loves me and continues conforming me to the image of Christ Jesus (Romans 8:28-30).
What view of Him do others see reflected in my life? Which Christ-like qualities shine in my relationships and in my circumstances?
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.
Genesis 1:27
Just like the ugly duckling became a swan in the famous children’s story, the unsightly mud puddle became a beautiful illustration for biblical truth. As the angle changed on my view of the hole in my yard, the Lord graciously helped me to notice Him as He filled my heart with joy.
By the way, the rut remains, and I still don’t like it. However, I will wait patiently until my husband has time to repair it. In the meantime, after rain showers, you may see me peering into a mud puddle to see what additional lessons God wants to teach me.
Have you seen a time when an unsightly view or circumstance led to a joyful heart? Have you been encouraged by a Christian who is filled with joy even when life is hard? Please share how God has changed your view of life’s “mud puddles.”
1 Soul Care When You’re Weary by Edie Melson is for anyone who needs to slow down and soak up the peace God intended us to have. Soul Care for Writers is addressed to writers and other creatives. Both books contain devotions, prayers, and easy creative activities that will delight even the non-crafty among us. Let me know if you have questions about either book.