2. beauty
I have just returned from my first visit to the Northern Territory in Australia, where I was invited to serve a church community in Darwin. I preached on how we can experience more of the presence of God. I also shared the vision of the being-formed journals and taught the principles behind the prompts that I designed to help you increase your awareness of God in all of your life. I'm working hard to get these journals designed and printed, so watch this space!
Whilst I was there, I was fortunate to be able to visit a couple national parks and take time to linger and enjoy God's beauty. The breathtaking scenery inspired the theme of this second newsletter, and I feel blessed to have experienced some amazing sunsets, including the photograph above at Ubirr in Kakadu National Park.
devotional
Beauty—is it a necessity or a luxury for a select privileged few?
What is beauty? Some say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Dallas Willard describes it as "goodness made manifest to the senses".
In Makoto Fujimura's book Culture Care, he begins with a story of how his wife Judy and him had very little when they first were married. In fact, he was sitting alone at home one night with an empty fridge, with no cash and worrying about they would pay the rent and other necessities. Moments later, Judy walks in, bringing home a bouquet of flowers.
“How could you think of buying flowers if we can’t even eat!”, he said, clearly frustrated. “We need to feed our souls, too,” replied Judy.
In this book, Makoto argues we need beauty in our lives if we desire to be fully human. "The biblical vision for the flourishing of our lives, lived fully under God's love, includes the beautiful. This is what we long for".
As I stood in Kakadu National Park admiring God’s handiwork and extravagant beauty, I couldn’t help but imagine—if God used such amazing colour and textures in his creation of this earth we currently live on, what will eternity in heaven look like? This earth won’t last forever (Isaiah 65:17, Matthew 24:35, 2 Peter 3, 1John 2:17, Revelation 21) and yet our creator God choose to design it with such beauty.
Psalms 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies show his skill in creation’s craftsmanship.
Psalms 8:3-4
Look at the splendour of your skies,
your creative genius glowing in the heavens.
When I gaze at your moon and your stars,
mounted like jewels in their settings,
I know you are the fascinating artist who fashioned it all!
But I have to ask this question:
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
We have been graciously given this earth as a gift. The beauty here illustrates God’s generosity, demonstrates his pursuing relentless love for us, and displays his masterful artistry.
story
I walked into a shop, noticing how wonderfully curated everything was and how beautiful every object was. This experience wasn’t isolated; it seemed like every shop in this neighbourhood was filled with intention and exceptional care. I walked out, captivating by the natural beauty of the surroundings. I was in New Zealand's South Island with a friend. From the moment we arrived there, our eyes were treated to a feast. While we were there, we visited Wanaka and Queenstown and hiked Hooker Valley (which, by the way, is one of the best day hikes I've ever done in my life!). Everywhere we went, we were constantly in awe of the natural beauty.
A few days in, I started wondering: does being surrounded by magnificant mountains, trees, and lakes contribute to the wellbeing of the people living here?
This 5-day experience of beauty awakened my sense of wonder. It reminds me to take time to be fully present in my surroundings, to take time to stop and smell the roses, and to become a beauty chaser.
I’ve come very far from my electrical engineering days at university, when I clearly recall being perplexed on why people would waste money on buying a beautiful lamp when a simple and cheap functional light bulb would suffice.
quotes
“Human beings are moved by beauty. If we want to change the world, we need, first of all, to be able to make people dream about beauty. The church has totally forgotten this. We are a bit uneasy with beauty. We seem to be obsessed with the idea of doing things... Beauty can change the world.” ~ Rubem Azevedo Alves
"Beauty is, above all, a manifestation of grace, of abundance and generosity. It's why God placed flowers on the earth." ~ Dallas Willard
“Practice routinely purposeful kindnesses and intelligent acts of beauty.” ~ Dallas Willard
question
What would it look like to bring beauty into someone’s life today in a small way?
prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for creating this world full of beauty for us to enjoy. May we take time to gaze on the beauty of your glorious creation—whether it be the nature outside or beauty created by architects, artists, musicians, or writers. May we be like the Psalmist in chapter 27 verse 4, "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." May this instill in us greater anticipation for our permanent home in heaven.
Show me today how I can create beauty for those around me—be it through my attitude, an act of kindness, or being generous. Help me live a life that points others to your beauty, the master and creator of everything.
Amen
Have a great week.
Love