“A joyful heart is good medicine." ~ Proverbs
17:22
Grace was putting on her makeup
under the watchful eyes of her. After applying
lipstick, her 6 year-old granddaughter Hayley looked up with admiring eyes.
But when she opened her mouth to speak, the words came out
fitfully; sounds half swallowed by a weepy noise. ”Gramma (long pause), I can’t wait …‘til I’m …
old enough … to wear … makeup!”
Whimpering gave way to sobbing. It was the kind of desolate crying that comes
from someone drained of all hope. There
was rawness to it. Her whole body shook;
defenses washed away in those salty tears.
Grace had never seen Haley so deflated. She made no attempt to conceal or even wipe
away her tears. Even birds would go
quiet to hear the giggles from deep inside the chest of this
typically-effervescent child.
“Sweetheart,” Grace began.
“What’s bothering you?”
Hayley’s eyes glazed with tears. As she blinked, they dripped from her eyelids
and slid down her cheeks. Her lower lip
quivered as words slowly made their way out of her mouth.
“The kids make fun of my freckles,” she wailed. “They call me Hayley Doody on the school bus. The boys call me turkey egg and ginger. I hate my freckles!”
Grace turned away from the mirror and knelt down next to her
sweet grandchild. “Dandelion blossoms
are like brilliant freckles on a field of green.” It was a line she’d read in a magazine many
years ago, something that had always stuck with her. To Grace it meant that even when beauty is
right in front of us, not everyone can see it.
Hayley looked confused.
So Gramma tried a different angle.
“Honey, when I was a little girl I always wanted
freckles," she said, while tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "There are all kinds of flowers and
they’re all beautiful.”
“I’ve never seen a flower with freckles,” the girl replied,
and ran off to her room, slammed the door shut, and cried herself to sleep.
When she opened her swollen sticky eyes the next morning,
the first thing she saw, lying on the pillow near her head, was a fiery-orange
flower covered by spots. She’d later learn
that the ‘Tiger’ in Tiger Lily, refers to the black spots on its petals. They’re often given for a 30th
wedding anniversary to symbolize humility and devotion.
In this story, freckles offer a metaphor for what we’re born
into, and how we choose to cope with difficult circumstances. It seems human nature to have a slant toward
the negative. It’s easy to spot the
faults and issues in things. The good
news is that even if we weren’t born a glass-half-full person, we can train
ourselves to see more of the positive.
It’s about what we focus on.
Holy God, I’ve come to You burdened with
worries, fears, doubts and troubles. Give me new strength, hope, and
confidence. Prepare me to meet the
constant struggles of daily life with a deeper faith and trust in You. Amen
