Something Beautiful...

By: Stephanie Defoyd
January 9, 2012


I have learned a lot of things from working at the local Head Start. I must say, I believe I have some of the BEST teachers in the world: the 3-5 year olds I work with each day. Today’s lesson is one I certainly won’t ever forget.

While discussing the children’s artwork, someone told me that they think saying things like, “Oh, I really like that!” about a piece of art work each child finishes when asked our opinion on it isn’t the best route, as it is impossible for one to truly “like” each drawing or painting that’s probably nothing more than a mere scribble or blob. They said that after a while, if we keep telling them everything they do is nice or beautiful, they will become discouraged and start thinking, “They are just saying that. They say it about everything I do.” I was told we should ask them THEIR opinion of their work. How do THEY feel about it? I can understand the part about asking the children what they thought about their work, but I don’t totally understand where this person is coming from about not telling them their work is beautiful. The kids did teach me something about this particular subject though.

Today we did finger painting. After covering the table with paper, a little bit of paint was poured onto the table for the kids to smear around. Once they were done making designs and such with the paint, I took a sheet of paper and laid it over their art, making a print of it.

Looking at each child’s print as I laid them out to dry, I thought back to the conversation I had had earlier. Suddenly one little girl pointed to her print and said, “Look! That’s a picture of my family!”

To an adult, the girl’s art might not look like anything more than a sheet of paper covered in smears of red, yellow and blue paint mixed together with a few finger designs and a handprint. I couldn’t see realistic-looking representations of people in her picture, but she did help me realize something. Through a child’s eyes, everything is unique and beautiful in its own special way. To an adult, this print might look like a mess, but through the eyes of a child, it is a family full of love, laughter, growth, and imagination. What isn’t creative about that?

As I listened to the kids as they told me what each of their paintings was of, I couldn’t help but notice the beauty they saw. Each work of art was as unique and special as the toddler who created it. Their imaginations were vivid and they could see potential in something that might just look like a mess to an adult.

Through this I was reminded of how God views us and our lives. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” We might look at our lives and just see nothing but screw-up after screw-up, resulting in a huge, not-so-attractive mess. We might think we are worthless. Thankfully, God doesn’t see us or our lives that way. He views us as precious and rare jewels, something to be treasured. As for our lives, He doesn’t see an ugly mess. Like children who can see beauty in something that we might think is ugly, or just scribbles on paper, God sees our lives as something wonderful. He takes our “mess” and turns it into a magnificent masterpiece.

It makes me wonder, what’s the harm in taking a moment to look through the eyes of a child and see the beauty and wonder in everything? My kiddos have taught me (and still are teaching me) how to look deeply at things and seek out the beauty within them, and when I tell them I think their work is very creative or beautiful, I mean it. I don’t just say it to be nice. I say it because that is what it is; something beautiful that just might lead to something even more gorgeous later on.