Finding Beauty in Every Season: Lessons from the Heart

I enjoy teaching religion to our Saturday School students. We gather in the sanctuary of St. Sarkis Church, where I often read them a Bible story or share insights about the saint the church is celebrating that particular week. Sometimes, I come unprepared and opt to read one of Jesus' parables. However, some students who have heard the parable before complain, saying, "You have read that story before." My consistent response is that while the stories remain the same, we change. Each time we hear the story, the word of God touches us differently.

Last Saturday, I went to teach and planned to read the parable of the sower. To kick things off, I thought I would ask some icebreaker questions. I intended to ask who likes winter, expecting no one to raise their hands. Then I would ask who likes spring, expecting everyone to raise their hands. This would then allow me to introduce the concept of gardening as a segue into the parable. 

However, my plan looked great on paper but took an unexpected turn. Surprisingly, everyone raised their hands when I asked the students who liked winter! I wasn't anticipating that reaction. After all, who likes winter when you live in the Northeast with its freezing temperatures, long winter nights, and plenty of snow?

I realized my biases influenced my initial plan, so I wanted to understand what my students liked about winter. A few students mentioned that their birthdays are in the winter, while others said they enjoy the snow. However, one young girl shared that winter is special because she feels cozy at home and closer to her family. She explained, “During the summer, we tend to spend a lot of time outdoors, but in winter, as we stay closer indoors, my parents encourage us to pray together as a family every night”. When I asked her what kind of prayers they say, she replied, "I don’t know, but we pray to God together."

Hearing this made me reconsider my lesson plan. I realized I could set aside the parable of the Sower and talk to the children about something different—something they felt deeply but struggled to name: beauty. I spoke about the other three seasons and encouraged the students to share what they appreciated about spring, summer, and fall. Their responses were imaginative and endearing. I invited them to consider that everything around them was part of God’s creation, and just as an artist signs their painting, God's signature is also present in His creation. "Do you know where to find God's signature?" I asked.

As the students were trying to come up with an answer, I quoted Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” This puzzled my students, so I used an analogy to clarify my point. 

I asked them, "How can someone build a table? Can we just go to a hardware store, buy a sheet of plywood and four 4x4 posts, and assemble them to make a table?" The boys nodded in agreement. 

Then I asked, "Would you bring that table home, put it in your dining room, and say, ‘This is our dining table? ‘" The girls immediately replied, "No way!" 

Curious, I asked why. They responded, "Because that’s an ugly table!"

I explained that an "ugly table" may serve a purpose, but we seek beauty alongside functionality. Similarly, while God could have created everything to serve a specific function, He chose to make everything beautiful. The beauty in creation is like God's signature. I realized my explanation might be too abstract for my elementary grades students to grasp, so I asked them, "If you were to create a birthday card for your parents on their birthday, would you aim to make a beautiful or ugly card?" The unanimous answer was "a beautiful card." I nodded in agreement and added, "Because beauty conveys love."

God demonstrates His love for us through His beautiful creation. Sometimes, our eyes may be closed to see the beauty of cold, snowy, and dark winter nights because of some unpleasant personal experiences. However, God might send a gentle reminder, such as an experience shared by a young student during an unexpected moment in the sanctuary classroom. And if we remain humble, we can learn valuable lessons from a pure heart in situations where we were meant to be the teacher.