Ugly

The dirt path led through ugly.

I expected delight.

Trees tumbled. Land barren. Tangles scratching.

Where was the refreshment I expected? The beauty?

I did not like this path. This disappointment.

I kept walking. My Beloved insisted. Insisted the ugly was worth it. Worth the difficulty. Worth overcoming obstacles in my way.

And it was.

The end of the path brought beauty, flourishing. Bird song. Well orchestrated gardens. Delight. Here was what I had anticipated earlier.

My Beloved spoke words, startling. “Isn't this what our journey on earth is like? Ugly, disappointing, barren, scratching? We expect beauty here, now. But, heaven is coming. And when we reach it, we will find beauty, glorified. Refreshment. Delight.”

We sat long, relishing, before returning to ugly.

The journey was worth it.