The Power of Beauty

Thursday January 15, 2015

Sunsets. People tend to stop what they are doing to watch them... take pictures of them... admire their splendour.

Last January, my wife and I watched the sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico. We were surrounded by a crowd of people - mostly strangers - who had gathered at the beach to watch this nightly ritual. At the moment the sun fully disappeared below the horizon, the crowd broke into applause.

Why do people do that? I would suggest it´s the power of beauty! Beauty speaks to our hearts like few things do. It not only draws us into itself, but it also has the power to take us to something beyond itself. Ultimately, it can inch us ever much closer to the Maker of beauty.

The 20th century French philosopher Simone Weil wrote : "The soul´s inclination to love beauty is the trap God most frequently uses in order to win it." As the ancient write of Ecclesiastes reminds us, "God has made everything beautiful for its own time" (3:11).

Beauty is absorbed through the senses our Creator gave us, and it can be found just about anywhere. We can see it in a sunset or in a fresh blanket of snow. We can heart it while listening to a favourite work of music or feel it in the soft, furry coat of a pet. Our hearts can sense it in the kind words of a friend. We can smell it in the aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee. We can see it in the brush strokes of an artist´s painting.

Beauty may indeed be in the eye of the beholder, but it´s something we all need on a daily basis. It´s a gift from God that renews and gives life to our souls. - Jeff Olson

Read
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God. I know that everything GOd does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

Question to Ponder
How can you bring more beauty into your life?
How can you share God´s beauty with others this week?

** Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue