Taking Refuge in The Good, The True, and The Beautiful

Yesterday, I had a golden moment with my students in a 5th Grade Live Decimals Enrichment Block. The Good, the True, and the Beautiful rang forth from the lesson, and it touched me deeply that I felt I should share it with you. Upon reflecting later that evening, I realized these moments can become a refuge for us in a world that seems to grow crazier by the day.

The Beautiful

As soon as we came together, one of my students appeared with her harp. Knowing she was a harpist (despite being only in 5th grade), I had beseeched her to play for us some weeks earlier. Most students are too shy to share their musical gifts. It puts them on the spot, and performing solo for peers can be challenging.

Yet, there she was, and she proceeded to play a Celtic ballad for us. Her command of the instrument would have impressed me even if she were an adult. Never mind the skillful adornments and virtually flawless plucking of notes in perfect timing. It was a gift in its own right and even more meaningfully so coming from a student in a math class. I was moved.

The True

Math is a frustratingly ideal place to discover the true. I say that because, while math is perfect, it can be frustrating for students (and people) who struggle to think mathematically. We were doing decimals which can increase the tedium. It’s a naturally dry subject that can be challenging to infuse with the juice of enthusiasm.

Yet, there they were, plugging away. We made mistakes – me included. We struggled searching, prying, plodding, and yet coming to the truth in every case. The search for truth is vital in every human endeavor, for if you have not truth, what have you at all? Yet, it is so satisfying when it is won.

The Good

Where do we find the Good in human endeavor? It is in our deeds of will – the willingness to work hard, to trust where our teacher is leading us, to put forth the effort to be successful. It’s also in free giving of gifts and the grateful, appreciative reception of them.

Yesterday’s lesson was pregnant with the Good. It resounded through our lesson in many ways, like the harp’s strings plucked by skillful fingers. It left us all with a warm feeling inside, the kind that cannot be bought with any amount of money. It was like pure gold, the most real gold, spiritual gold.

The Refuge

Moments like yesterday are the kind that we remember in our elder years. These are the moments that MAKE life. But, so what? Why has this to do with refuge? Well, maybe you’re like me. Maybe you are concerned by the darkness, strife, and calamity in the world today. Perhaps it takes strength to buoy your optimism.

Yet, look! The Good, the True, and the Beautiful still exist! Isn’t that tremendous news? And, as long as even a mustard seed of these three forces exists in the world, no amount of darkness will put out the human spirit. This world is a choice world where both heaven and hell are possible, and for anybody with eyes wide open, it can seem like there is far too much of the latter at present. Wars, natural disasters, economic challenges, and more seem to lurk around every corner.

Yet, I have seen that the seeds of heaven still live in the earth. Hither and thither are they sprouting, while in some places they may still be biding their time, patiently waiting. They are nevertheless amongst us in every heart with the goodwill to turn towards them. I am comforted knowing that a world redeemed from darkness is already being built. These seemingly simple, everyday encounters with my students remind me of that, often. I guess I’m a pretty lucky guy, getting paid to experience the new earth in them.