In search of true beauty
There’s a well-known adage that true beauty is found in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps no place among Luke Society ministries is that more evident than in a visit to San Juan, Guatemala.
San Juan, along the west side of Lake Atitlán, is the visually stunning home base for Dr. Israel Hernandez’s ministry, AMI San Lucas. Just look at the photo above! The basin for the largest and deepest lake in all Central America is believed to have been formed thousands of years ago by volcanoes. Lush green mountains form an apron around the lake. It’s truly immaculate!
But terrain and geological wonder are only skin deep. To see the Creator’s real beauty in the Lake Atitlán region requires a deeper drive into the mountains where rugged roads carved out of jagged rocks create pathways to tiny villages, mostly untouched by modernized culture. It’s here where the Lord’s beauty truly thrives through his crown of creation — the people.
A woman is hand-weaving a brightly colored Guatemalan shawl on a loom, while her husband sits beside her spinning yarn.
Community leaders are meeting to discuss how to improve the health, economy and education in their tiny village.
A woman shows off the chicken coop she built to create food for her own family and an income source in the marketplace.
A group of teens is taking the initiative to develop a campaign against teenage pregnancy.
Women are teaching techniques about gardening for mothers to help them gain self-sustainability.
Children play gleefully outside, laughing as they chase each other around their quiet street.
I’ll stop there, but the beautiful images of life go on and on. As we travel to the often-remote Luke Society ministry sites, it’s easy to be enamored by the Master Creator’s artistry in landscapes, vegetation, elevations and waterways. However, as most of us learned long ago in Genesis 1, God saw all he had made “and it was good.” It didn’t become “very good” until he created mankind in his own image and placed them on the earth.
Today, take some time to stop and look at the world around you. Enjoy and appreciate the beauty and diversity of your neighbors, your friends, family, coworkers, people you know and those you don’t. Each one was masterfully created by God with gifts and skills for His kingdom work. Red and yellow, black and white they are precious in his sight. May the devil’s attempts and strategies that seek to divide us, instead unite us as we honor the Master Artisan who has sculpted us as worshipers for His glory.