This One Single Leaf

I took a walk in the forest on a rainy day. There was a lot to observe; however, this one thing caught my eye.
 
A leaf.
 
A single leaf.
 
One out of hundreds. In fact, the forest floor was littered with all types of leaves in all kinds of colors and at various stages of their life cycles. I saw green ones, brown ones, and others multi-hued, just like the one I stopped to focus on. This one, though, was partially buried so that it was even harder to discover. But the Lord brought this one to view, as if it had a spotlight on it.
 
If I’d had my phone with me, I would’ve taken a picture of it right where I found it. Instead, studied it for a while, admiringly, then decided to carry it with me. The forest didn’t seem to mind. It had enough going on after the recent storm.

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Sure, there were other leaves that appeared all put together; no bruises, whole, perfect—yet a dime a dozen.

No, this one… this one single leaf, to me, was stunning in its imperfections. It had holes and blemishes, been chewed on, spat out, and I imagine roughed up a bit. That was a long way to fall, after all, from the top of that tree. But I loved it, this leaf. Did I mention how stunning? And vibrant! The imperfections caused the rest of it to almost glow. I valued it, this leaf—this one single leaf.

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I wondered why God brought this particular leaf to my attention, except for maybe I was meant to have it. Because I see its worth. And from having it, I gain inspiration and growth of perspective… and deeper love.
 
Is this how the Lord sees us, having holes, bruises, environmental damage, yet stunning in our imperfections? I think so. And how he uses us in our imperfections to communicate with others. Like he spoke to me through this one single leaf that stood out among the others, shimmering, waiting to be noticed, to be picked up, carried, and cherished. It’s called unconditional love, something we humans have trouble grasping. It’s a selfless love that goes beyond semblance; it’s recognizing beauty in the imperfections.
 
~Jeremiah 31:3: “The LORD appeared to him long ago, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you out with kindness.’”

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