[Guest post by Alice Carter: You know the old saying, “stop and smell the roses.” But we also often forget to stop and worship the the One who created those beautiful roses! Thank you for this reminder, Alice!]

Whilst on honeymoon, in the beautiful Lake District, my husband and I decided we needed a day in civilisation, so we headed over to Blackpool. In case you don’t know, Blackpool is a holiday resort in the North West of England; it is well known for the Blackpool tower, the Blackpool Illuminations and the theme park – Blackpool Pleasure Beach! Blackpool is a lot of fun, but I don’t think anyone could describe it as pretty.

After spending a day on the roller coasters, we decided to walk along the main road down to one of the piers. As we walked down the busy main road, in the early evening, there was one of the most perfect sunsets I have even seen reflected in the sea. It was absolutely stunning. Definitely not the kind of thing you would expect to see whilst in Blackpool. It made that rundown street beautiful, even if just for a few minutes.

It was the kind of thing you can’t just ignore — we had to stop and watch it. Or at least that was what I thought. Lots of other people didn’t seem to agree.

Although the street was filled with people, very few actually stopped to watch the sunset. Most of them were busy going in and out of the tacky seaside shops or putting money into arcade games to notice the real beauty that was right there in front of them. They didn’t stop what they were doing, to just be and to just watch. That makes me sad.

God had created a beautiful sunset, but ninety-nine percent of people missed it.

I wonder how often that is true in our own lives. How often have we missed moments of real beauty because we simply weren’t looking for it?

We miss real, heavenly beauty, in exchange for something much cheaper.

God’s glory is written throughout all of nature and yet, somehow, we choose to ignore it. The birds sing to the glory of God and the flowers bloom to the glory of God and yet, we so easily ignore it. We find it so easy to ignore God. How can you see something so beautiful and not want to stop and watch it… not want to worship the one who created it? And yet I know I do. All the time.

God created so much beauty, and I hardly ever slow down, take it in and just worship.

It is like all creation is screaming: “Look! Look up! Look at the one who made all of this, and worship him. Worship him with all of your heart, he is amazing!”

Imagine if a child drew you a picture: they had spent absolutely ages on it, using their special felt tips, and they had even stuck one of their most favorite stickers on it. You wouldn’t just throw it to one side, and ignore the child. You would stick up the picture in pride of place, on your fridge, and praise the child.

If we can do this for a child why don’t we do this for God? Why don’t we always take time out with him, look at what he created and worship him?

Even if you live in the city, look to the sky, the patterns of the clouds, look at the architecture — God made the minds that made the buildings. And look to the beauty in your relationships, and let that lead you to worship God.

Don’t ignore the beauty that is right there in front of you in exchange for emptiness and ugliness. Open your eyes, see the beauty all around, and worship God. He makes all things beautiful.

After completing a degree in applied theology at moorlands theological college and then working at a church as a children’s and family worker, Alice married the man of her dreams. They are currently living in the East End of London. Alice loves to crochet, read, bake and blog at www.cherrydropprincess.com — she would love for you to check it out!