Celebrate Beauty

READ: Psalm 29

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty. Isaiah 33:17

Everyone has his or her own concept of beauty:

• For a photographer, it’s a sunset over water or the picture of a lovely face.
• For an artist, it’s a wooded landscape or a mountain’s grandeur.
• For a journalism major, it’s a flawless paragraph or a perfect metaphor.
• For an engineer, it’s a well-designed bridge.
• For a mechanic, it’s a high-performance engine tuned to perfection.

We may not all agree on a single definition of beauty, but we can all appreciate it—especially as believers in Jesus Christ. That’s because we know that beauty ultimately finds its source in the attributes and character of God, and that truth and goodness and holiness are integral parts of who He is.

We also know that He revealed Himself in beauty. Our magnificent, glorious world reflects the perfection of our Designer-Creator God. Therefore, when we stand in awe of the beauty of a rugged mountainscape, the raw power of a raging sea, or the tranquil splendor of a summer meadow, we are acknowledging God.

Professor Elaine Scarry believes that beauty exists for more than our admiration (“On Beauty and Being Just”). It helps us behave more justly in a world that frightfully distorts God’s beauty and justice. Think about this:

• Beauty forces us to look outside ourselves. We get beyond our little worlds, not only to admire beauty but also to make room for those in need.

• Beauty awakens us to the things and people we might otherwise ignore. A single magnificent white pine causes us to see all trees anew.

• Beauty is harmony: in symmetry, proportion, color, chords, and balance.

Wickedness throws our world out of balance; beauty testifies to the need for justice and order.

The next time you’re overwhelmed with beauty, reflect on the God who provided for it. And look forward to that wondrous day when our “eyes will see the King [Jesus] in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17).
—Dave Egner

REFLECTION

• What is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen? The loveliest sound I’ve ever heard? How did I respond to it?
• When I am awed by beauty, do I think of God? Do I want to share it—and Him—with those who are with me?
• How can I use beauty as evidence for the reality and love of God?

Nature reflects God’s glory.

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