Recently, I purchased one of those little devices that smoosh fruit and veggies into a smoothie in the blink of an eye. My wedding-gift blender had seen its day and was only chunking the fruit and spinach. Nothing smooth about it. (But hey, 45 years is more than a lifetime for an appliance warranty, right?) I proudly swirled my first colorful concoction and texted a photo of the mix in its commercial container to my girl, telling her that I did, however, not find it particularly yummy. A few minutes later, she returned her own version to me with a reminder that the cuter the glass, the better the taste. How could I, who drummed into my children the maxim that "art is doing whatever you do in the most beautiful way possible", have forgotten?
Several times a week, or sometimes, several times a day, if one of my girls has her eyes particularly peeled, I receive a text with no words, just an image. Often the visual has taken her breath away with its beauty or created a little ache in her heart or swelled inside to the point that she could not contain the observed delight without sharing. The pictures make me smile.
Pretty counts. There would be those that argue the point. But, I think it safe to say, true beauty is always an expression of love. It points to "other". As Believers, we know the ultimmate Other. That's why, when gazing at a gorgeous sunrise, a snow-frosted mountain peak, or a monarch emerging from a cocoon, we say, " Oh, look"! We long to share. When considering Creation, we cannot help but find pleasure in the myriad of stimuli that tickle each of our senses. God could have made all flowers with one scent and one hue, but He crafted the myriad of specimens we call wildflowers, effusive in His display of love. He could have made us to subsist on air and water like the plants of the field, but instead, gifted to us tastes, colors, textures and palate-pleasers galore. In love, God has invited us into the choreography of Creation. All that surrounds us is an expression of His love. Those of us who call ourselves His children understand that in sharing the wonder of beauty, we are pointing to Him.
How do we join Him in passing on the love of beauty? Sometimes, love means something as simple as using cloth napkins instead of paper. (They are super easy to toss into the washer and dryer.) Sometimes, love might look like cute little crocks holding the condiments instead of plunking the ketchup bottle on the table. Beauty can be enjoyed in neat rows of folded towels or canning jars filled with jam or garden tools at-the-ready. Beauty. Love. Call it what you will. It is all around us. Look for it, and my guess is that you cannot keep it for yourself. A flurry of picture texts. I love it.
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:1
No comments:
Post a Comment