The preliminary beauty

The preliminary beauty                                                                            
 
Aren’t we beautiful?  Aren’t we brave?
We try so hard
 
to please our Lord, to serve Him,
to give of ourselves, to connect with others.
 
We are not very good at it
but doesn’t that strengthen our resolve?
 
My very young granddaughter
is just learning to use her fingers.
 
Grasping clumsily at objects. 
Trying to fathom again and again
 
the how and why of it.
She’s not very good at it,
 
but it’s the beauty of her efforts,
the concentration, determination
 
and my already knowing she will one day
use her hands with such perfect grace
 
to express her love, to give and receive,
to serve and please her Lord.
 
O child of God, the more you see the preliminary beauty
the nearer you are to the viewpoint of God.