God's Smile

By Hazel Holland

(A few years ago I did this drawing with pastels in order to express my gratefulness to God for the beauty of His creation that brought me such joy as a child!)

One of my favorite pastimes as a small child was going for a nature walk in the English countryside. I loved to run and skip through the fields and meadows, and breathe in the delicate perfume of the wild flowers while admiring their simple beauty. Each flower's face seemed to be bursting with joy as it danced and swayed in the gentle breeze, and I knew it was inviting me to pick it.

But more than anything else, I enjoyed finding a new wild flower that was tucked away from the beaten path and out of sight...especially one that I didn't have already in my hand. Somehow, whenever I discovered a new flower it was as if God was smiling at me.

However, whenever I found a flower that had been trampled on and crushed, I felt such sadness. So I would pick it and take it home with me, hoping to "resurrect" it later in a vase of water. Quite often that miracle happened.

I picked and gathered the wild flowers until my hands couldn't hold anymore because I desired to fill my whole house with the sweet perfume and delicate beauty of God's creation.

I didn't realize back then as a young child that God had placed within my heart a sensitivity to His Spirit that would be realized much later... As I saw God's heart for us expressed through His creation, I couldn't stop marveling at His handiwork.

I wanted to be out in nature 24/7, because it was only there that I felt accepted and loved. I could feel the warmth of God's smile upon me in every opening flower, and I hoped that someday I too would be free to dance and smile like these beautiful flowers, and become the child He created me to be...