L'Ange du Sourire

Outside my window is a bush with delicate pink flowers.

As I sit and admire the bush, I become aware of a team of busy bees darting from one bloom to the next, gathering nectar. I can only see them when I sit and gaze, because many of the blooms are tucked away from sight.

The bees are denied the opportunity to appreciate the bigger picture. They are busy, frantic even perhaps, as they work away diligently. They can’t see that theirs is but a small part of an overall sweep of beauty, so focused are they on accomplishing their tasks.

I can be so caught up in the needs around me that I become a bit overwhelmed by them. Perhaps that elevates me to a level of self-importance which is just plain false. Certainly it heightens anxiety and can lead to short-temperedness, I’ve found. Don’s probably found that in me, too!

I’ve got a postcard from a dear French friend, Isabelle, which perches in my prayer window. It is a picture of L’Ange du Sourire, a statue in the Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Reims. Carved around 1230, it shows an angel, flashing a beatific smile. I love it, because it speaks of a gentleness in the heavenly realms, a joy and a sense of peace. There is a sort of wisdom conveyed there, emanating from someone who can see the bigger picture. 

I smile when I see the busy bees in the bush outside. I can see the beauty of the bush, as well as the beauty of their activity. God smiles when he sees us, and in all our activity he sees the bigger picture. The bigger picture is beautiful, even if we miss a few of the flowers we think we need to tend to today.

Oh that I might remember what I am writing, and lead a wiser life as a result!