Monday, August 30, 2010
Beauty all around us...
There's so much beauty all around us. As I write this post, I'm staring at some picturesque white lilies and some velvety red roses. And as I bite into varying shades of green broccoli, I'm blown away by the limitless detail found in such seemingly unimportant florets.
I sip from my glass of Merlot and observe purples mixed with burgundies and again, I am flabbergasted. I glance to my right to watch my tan Labrador, who accompanies me downstairs while the rest of my family is upstairs (Praise the Lord, I get a few minutes to myself); I can't help but observe her noteworthy traits as well. Her fur changes tones from her ears to the top of her head and then from her back to her neck. The tans darken and lighten to bring forth a palette of richness and depth.
It might sound like I'm overdoing it to be awed by flowers, broccoli, a common glass of Merlot, and my seven-year-old Labrador, named Nugget. But, the truth is, that if we don't stop to be moved by some of the simple things around us, we must question when we will pause to notice the bigger things in life. Will we ever quit moving between the maddening cycle of waking, eating, working, running errands, eating, and sleeping only to awake again and start all over?
Every single night, there is a host of starry wonderment above us, but we rarely step outside to gaze upon its majesty. Even recently when Mars lined up into visual perfection with our moon, how many people stopped what they were doing to notice its glory? It won't happen again for tens of thousands of years and even then, many people continued on with their movie rental and their dessert.
How often do we really stop to evaluate the miracle of the human body? Of our very own heart beat? Of the blood that flows and of the cells that divide? Of the brain waves that glide effortlessly along, doing their own thing so involuntarily? Do we credit each breath as a miracle, one given to us from God above?
Though these simplistic thoughts might seem irrelevant to our daily lives, they actually serve an important function towards drawing us into the holy realm of the Almighty. When we observe His creation around us and see that it is good, we are drawn closer to Him. When we gaze upon His beautiful works, we are drawn a little bit closer to the One who allows us to make these observations in the first place.
What we usually do is speed past the goodness and the beauty around us; we miss the artfulness of the colorful flowers, the varied vegetables, a beautiful glass of liquid standing still, or a dog lying at rest with the light hitting its fur like a choreographed dance. We miss the Creator who created it all. We deny the Creator the glory due His name when we speed past the awesomeness staring us in the face.
Though this idea still puzzles some readers, I want to challenge some of you to hang on for a moment longer. Think about what happens when you sit outside under the stars, when you stare upon their intensity and their massivity. If you believe in God, they make you think upon Him. Even if you don't credit a Creator, you think about what's beyond our world. It leads you to something bigger, to something beyond yourself. And that is a good thing.
The result of our slowing down which leads to deeper reflections is the very reason that we must slow down. We must rest our glance upon the simple things touching our path on a daily basis. We must revel in the delicate fragrance of the roses around us. We should enjoy the multifaceted flavors in the foods we eat.
Let's enjoy the soft touch of our pet as we embrace her soothing fur. Let's take time to adore the Creator of that beautiful sunrise and the sunset as well. Let's take a few moments to set our eyes upon the starry sky, held together by the Master Artist.
When these experiences draw us closer to the one who is THE ONE, we are transformed more closely into His image. We begin to look like Him and ultimately, we are changed. Let's slow down fellow believers. Let's observe His creation all around us. Let's worship the King together.
Often times, as I hum praise songs during the day, I invite my kids to sing with me. I remind them about the Scripture in the Psalms that talks about how if we do not praise the Lord, then the rocks will cry out to Him in our stead. We worship by singing and we are called into that place by thanking Him for His awesomeness all around us throughout the day.
I sip from my glass of Merlot and observe purples mixed with burgundies and again, I am flabbergasted. I glance to my right to watch my tan Labrador, who accompanies me downstairs while the rest of my family is upstairs (Praise the Lord, I get a few minutes to myself); I can't help but observe her noteworthy traits as well. Her fur changes tones from her ears to the top of her head and then from her back to her neck. The tans darken and lighten to bring forth a palette of richness and depth.
It might sound like I'm overdoing it to be awed by flowers, broccoli, a common glass of Merlot, and my seven-year-old Labrador, named Nugget. But, the truth is, that if we don't stop to be moved by some of the simple things around us, we must question when we will pause to notice the bigger things in life. Will we ever quit moving between the maddening cycle of waking, eating, working, running errands, eating, and sleeping only to awake again and start all over?
Every single night, there is a host of starry wonderment above us, but we rarely step outside to gaze upon its majesty. Even recently when Mars lined up into visual perfection with our moon, how many people stopped what they were doing to notice its glory? It won't happen again for tens of thousands of years and even then, many people continued on with their movie rental and their dessert.
How often do we really stop to evaluate the miracle of the human body? Of our very own heart beat? Of the blood that flows and of the cells that divide? Of the brain waves that glide effortlessly along, doing their own thing so involuntarily? Do we credit each breath as a miracle, one given to us from God above?
Though these simplistic thoughts might seem irrelevant to our daily lives, they actually serve an important function towards drawing us into the holy realm of the Almighty. When we observe His creation around us and see that it is good, we are drawn closer to Him. When we gaze upon His beautiful works, we are drawn a little bit closer to the One who allows us to make these observations in the first place.
What we usually do is speed past the goodness and the beauty around us; we miss the artfulness of the colorful flowers, the varied vegetables, a beautiful glass of liquid standing still, or a dog lying at rest with the light hitting its fur like a choreographed dance. We miss the Creator who created it all. We deny the Creator the glory due His name when we speed past the awesomeness staring us in the face.
Though this idea still puzzles some readers, I want to challenge some of you to hang on for a moment longer. Think about what happens when you sit outside under the stars, when you stare upon their intensity and their massivity. If you believe in God, they make you think upon Him. Even if you don't credit a Creator, you think about what's beyond our world. It leads you to something bigger, to something beyond yourself. And that is a good thing.
The result of our slowing down which leads to deeper reflections is the very reason that we must slow down. We must rest our glance upon the simple things touching our path on a daily basis. We must revel in the delicate fragrance of the roses around us. We should enjoy the multifaceted flavors in the foods we eat.
Let's enjoy the soft touch of our pet as we embrace her soothing fur. Let's take time to adore the Creator of that beautiful sunrise and the sunset as well. Let's take a few moments to set our eyes upon the starry sky, held together by the Master Artist.
When these experiences draw us closer to the one who is THE ONE, we are transformed more closely into His image. We begin to look like Him and ultimately, we are changed. Let's slow down fellow believers. Let's observe His creation all around us. Let's worship the King together.
Often times, as I hum praise songs during the day, I invite my kids to sing with me. I remind them about the Scripture in the Psalms that talks about how if we do not praise the Lord, then the rocks will cry out to Him in our stead. We worship by singing and we are called into that place by thanking Him for His awesomeness all around us throughout the day.
Labels: beauty, Christian, family, God, worship
