Oh who can tell the range of joy
Or set the bounds of beauty?

from “A Winter Blue Jay” by Sara Teasdale

These two lines from a poem we read in Morning Time on Monday have been ringing in my ears all week. It tells the story of a couple out for a winter walk, admiring the skaters on the lake and drinking in “the wine of love.” They laugh in ecstasy, and she is sure their joy has reached its zenith. But then, her love points out a beautiful blue jay perched on a nearby branch, and she realizes there’s something even more lovely to behold. That’s when she concludes that no one can tell “the range of joy or set the bounds of beauty.”

Those two simple lines fill me with such hope. No one can say, “This is the happiest I will ever be; this is the most beauty I will ever experience.” Likewise, no one can ever say, “I will never be happy again.” There is always the possibility of being surprised by future joy and beauty! Isn’t that a lovely thought?! It can encourage us whether we’re flying high in ecstasy or lying low in the depths of despair.

No matter how much of this world we’ve seen, there is no pinnacle of beauty in the universe…because God is infinitely beautiful. I want eyes to see His beauty when the ugliness of this world gets me down. If you’re tempted to think all the joy and beauty you could know is already behind you, take heart that that isn’t true. Because beyond the dull and drab of this world, we can cling to the promise of beholding a beauty with no limits for all of eternity!

You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.

Psalm 16:11 (CSB)

God, surprise us with beautiful things that bring us joy today! Your creation can’t help but reflect Your beauty, and I have a feeling they are all around us if we only had the eyes to see them. Give us those eyes and teach us to open them wide today!