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April 17, 2025

Watching for Collateral Beauty

April 17, 2025 by RACHEL HENDRIKSON BEAUTY Health issues on the field Hope Trust
Watching for Collateral Beauty
  • by RACHEL HENDRIKSON
  • Comment
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28

Have you heard of Collateral Beauty? It’s the title of a movie I watched years ago. I’m not endorsing the movie but the title and the idea behind it grabbed my attention. The main character’s world is shattered after the death of his young daughter. As the years pass and he grieves, he is helped to see the collateral beauty… the good that has come from all the difficult. This was a secular interpretation of a promise that God offers to believers daily. Romans 8:28 says… “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”


Today was a hard day. Illness greatly affects my family and has for the last five years. But as I prayed and cried today and asked God again for healing, I remembered some of the situations that happened in just the last two months because of this illness. I remembered the woman I passed on the sidewalk. I couldn’t stay for the entire service at church that day and had to go home early. I passed this stranger on the sidewalk and noticed her tears. I turned around and walked to up to her. I gently said I noticed the tears and asked if I could do something. She explained simply that her heart was broken. I asked to pray for her and she said yes. So on the sidewalk, in the middle of this inner city we live in, I got to talk to Jesus with this lady whose heart was broken. After praying I asked if I could give her a hug. She said yes and she held on tight and long as she sobbed on my shoulder.  


My pain has caused me to be comfortable with other people’s pain. My pain allowed me to be in that place at that moment to be Jesus’ arms to that woman. Collateral beauty. And I have other stories just like this one that wouldn’t have happened had I not been walking my broken journey with the pain that God, in His Sovereignty, is allowing. So be encouraged today that there is purpose in the pain. And that as we submit our pain and hurt to the Lord, He can bring good from it. Ask Him to open your eyes to show you the collateral beauty around you and be encouraged that you don’t walk the difficult road alone. He walks beside us and leads us. Trust Him to bring beauty from the pain. 

Closing Prayer
Dear Father, You hold us in Your hand. You love us and nothing comes to us that hasn’t already passed through Your hands. You know our pain and struggles and You are with us in them. And not only are You with us but also You have the power to bring beauty from the pain. No matter how hard the difficulty, we have hope in You. You are the Giver of all beauty and You can bring good from all situations. Help us to trust You more today. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Resources
Book: The Space Between by Eric Jacobsen I originally read this book for a class in my Bible College and it helped me understand our need for beauty. We were created to appreciate beauty. Reading this book helped me to be aware of the importance of watching for beauty around me and appreciating it.
Question for Reflection

As you look around you today, what gift of beauty do you see from God? It could be a smile from a neighbor, a text from a friend, an encouraging Bible verse, flowers blooming, the smell of freshly baked bread, a song, etc.

Comments
Rachel Hendrikson
April 17, 2025

If I lived in the States, I think I would try to have a vegetable garden. I’ve missed not having that with my life overseas. This summer I decided to buy a couple tomatoes plants and try to grow them in pots outside my window. It is September when I write this and up until a week ago, my tomatoes were still green and small. A gardening friend from the States explained to me that it just doesn’t get hot enough where I live and I don’t get enough sunlight. However, this last week, we had record high temperatures! And guess what, several of the tomatoes turned red! It was a small gift from the Lord and my little red tomatoes are a gift of beauty.