Defects are the mirrors of the attributes of Beauty.

Excerpt

The leech skilled in setting bones goes Where lies the patient with a broken leg. If there were no sick and infirm, How could the excellence of the leech's art be seen? If vile base copper were not mingled, How could the alchemist show his skill? Defects are the mirrors of the attributes of Beauty, The base is the mirror of the High and Glorious One, Because one contrary shows forth its contrary, As honey's sweetness is shown by vinegar's sourness.

Source Masnavi, Book I, Story XII, §2 · 📖 Read the full passage

✨ To meditate on today

According to Rumi, our lacks and defects are like mirrors in which divine Beauty shows itself: without the sick, the healer’s art would not be seen; without copper, the alchemist’s skill would remain hidden. So what is weak in us becomes the place where God shows His goodness. Today, before a weakness, yours or someone else’s, instead of judging it, ask yourself what gentleness or care it invites you to receive or to give.

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