The beauty of togetherness

By Jeff Becraft

At Our Place of Hope, we have a front entrance and a back entrance.  We rent space from Mill City Church (an older fellowship hall building) and they have been fantastic. They have been very supportive and flexible in everything we are trying to accomplish and all the changes we have made to the space.

When we moved in, there was nothing at the front entrance except some old bushes that looked like old bushes in a 4’x10’ plot by the sidewalk. Those were taken down by a chainsaw. There was nothing at the back entrance steps.

But over time we have put out there planters of all sizes and shapes and we have planted flowers and two new smaller bushes in the 4’x10’ plot. Part of the beauty of Our Place of Hope is that the members engage in all the work. It is not what we do for them, it is what we do with them. Side by side.

As of right now, the members have worked in planting 16 different plants, and if you throw in the different colors of the different plants, that goes up to 22 different plants that are decorating the outside entrances.

It is really a beautiful sight.

And part of our hope is that as people just walk down the road or drive by, that the beauty of this will also instill a little bit of hope in them for that day.

It is the 22 plants together that really brings forth the beauty.

If we just had one plant out there (as beautiful as it might be), people would walk by and say, “What’s going on with this one plant?” No, it’s all the plants planted together with their different varieties, shapes, textures, colors, and sizes that really brings out that beauty.

And so it is with us. Each of us has our own beauty that we bring to this world… that is part of the purpose of each of our lives. Some of us don’t see that. We don’t see ourselves as beautiful or having something to offer. But that is a false perspective. Each of us have our own beauty and something to contribute that people around us need. That means we are needed.

And as we work together, that is really when the beauty shines forth. On our own, yes, we have our own beauty; but as we connect with others and people live out their talents and strengths and abilities, we complement one another… and that is where you really see the beauty shine through.

Jeff Becraft is the Director of Our Place of Hope located in Columbia, South Carolina, where people find encouragement to regain meaning, purpose, and hope for their lives. Jeff has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. If you would like Jeff to speak to your group or event, you can connect with him at  [email protected].