Live Beautifully

Some books inform you. Others invite you into a conversation with God.

For the past fifty days, After and Amen by Tyler Staton has been that kind of companion for me. Rather than simply teaching about prayer, it gently led me into it, slowing me down, helping me listen, and reminding me that God’s presence is more important than my productivity.

This morning, I turned the final page, and honestly, I was sad it had come to an end.

The final chapter, “Live Beautifully,” stayed with me long after I closed the book.

As I read, I couldn’t help but think about a picture Gina took this weekend of my son by marriage, Matt, standing beneath the fruit trees on their farm, holding our grandson, Augustino. They weren’t doing anything extraordinary. They were simply looking out over the trees together.

Yet somehow, it felt holy.

It reminded me that God created us not merely to exist in His creation but to participate in it. We are His image-bearers, invited to cultivate, nurture, love, and create beauty in the ordinary moments of life.

Ephesians 2:10 reminds us:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 

Watching them brought back so many memories from the weekend: holding Lily Mae and Avila Mae, hearing Indie Mae excitedly call, “Poppie!” whenever she wanted me, talking with Christopher about reading and writing stories, and answering Jonathan’s endless questions this weekend. None of those moments seemed remarkable at the time.

That’s exactly how God works.

He grows eternal things through ordinary moments.

Tyler writes that a creative life is self-forgetful. It discovers the joy of spending itself on others. He goes on to say that a creative life is self-giving. We may eventually forget the person’s name, but we rarely forget the way they lived. Their lives leave behind what he beautifully calls “rumors of another world.”

Isn’t that how Jesus lived?

Mark 10:45 tells us

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…”

Our world encourages us to make a name for ourselves. Jesus invites us to give ourselves away.

Looking again at that picture beneath the fruit trees, and reflecting on the moments I witnessed this weekend with my other children and their children, I realized that none of them were thinking about making memories or building a legacy.

They were simply loving their children.

And perhaps that’s exactly how lasting memories are made, and legacies are built.

Being present.

Faithfully cultivating what God had entrusted to him.

That’s how the Kingdom grows.

One conversation.

One bedtime prayer.

One hug.

One encouraging word.

One grandchild.

One neighbor.

One ordinary day lived with extraordinary love.

Maybe the greatest masterpieces God ever creates aren’t painted on canvases but on human hearts through people who simply choose to love well.

So today, don’t just ask, “What do I need to accomplish?”

Instead ask,

“How can I participate with God in what He is creating around me today?”

Because a life lived beautifully isn’t one that draws attention to itself.

It’s one that quietly points others to Jesus.

If you’re looking for a devotional that doesn’t simply teach you about prayer but invites you into a deeper relationship with God, I wholeheartedly recommend After and Amen by Tyler Staton. It challenged me, slowed me down, and reminded me that every ordinary day is an opportunity to become more like Christ and participate in the beautiful work He is already doing.

Don't you want to be a part of the work He is already doing?