“If a little flower could speak, it seems to me that it would tell us quite simply all that God has done for it, without hiding any of its gifts. It would not, under the pretext of humility, say that it was not pretty, or that it had not a sweet scent, that the sun had withered its petals, or the storm bruised its stem, if it knew that such were not the case.” (Thérèse of the Child Jesus).
This loving word complements St. Jerome’s earlier statement very well. Just as it is true that we should recognize our imperfection and strive for God’s perfection, so too is it important to recognize and acknowledge the beauty of the gifts God has bestowed upon us.
Thus, Little Thérèse’s insight helps prevent the creation of a “false and artificial humility” that devalues and belittles all the beautiful things God has given us to adorn our lives with their splendor and bring us joy!
The key is to accept everything from the loving hand of our Heavenly Father so our hearts may be filled with gratitude. Then, the danger of becoming arrogant and overestimating ourselves recedes. This spares us from a kind of artificial piety that neither glorifies God nor serves us or wins others over to the faith.
God the Father created us wonderfully in His image and renews us in Christ. A precious text from the liturgy tells us: “You wish to restore to us the beauty of the first day, when You created us in Your image.”
When, under the influence of grace, this beauty can grow within us and His good gifts enrich our lives, then our lives become a testimony through which our Father is glorified!