November 17, 2020

Beauty

I’m struck by how much my soul is enlivened by beauty.

Not exclusively of human beauty per se, as delightful as that may be,

But of God and his created order, which of course includes the people he designed.

Beauty multiplied in the lives of children young and old, imperfect reflections of love;

Beauty offered in the seasons of winter, spring, summer and autumn;

Beauty displayed in the garden, desert, pasture, woodland, seashore;

Beauty portrayed in the majesty of mountains, oceans, plains, and forests;

Beauty delivered in the weather, clouds, sunshine, rain, and snow;

Beauty magnified in the light and seen clearly under the microscope;

Beauty compensated in the restitution of the ugly, dormant, neglected, or dismissed;

Beauty shared in the human touch, an act of kindness, a lovely meal, a gesture of grace;

Beauty provided in the Word of God, filled with life, hope, peace, justice, and joy;

Beauty conveyed in the written word, the spoken word, the Word of love made flesh;

Beauty created in art, dance, poetry, pottery, lyric, melody, harmony, and song;

Beauty redeemed in the heart of confession, forgiveness, compassion, reconciliation;

Beauty whispered in the ear of those who pray, love, serve, and listen to God;

Beauty is God’s glorious idea, his chosen way to communicate, his invitation.

If you’re struck by how much your soul swells with joy amidst beauty,

Gaze upon God’s beauty today and choose the one thing that matters most.

Offer God’s beauty to others today, in the coming hours, and in the days ahead.

Beauty heals, notices, releases, celebrates, affirms, enlivens, completes, and transforms.

Reflections on beauty and beautiful reflections accompany a purifying soul.

Beauty.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Phil. 4:8, The Message