Pleasure was to be viewed
with suspicion in the hard-working, religious community of
my childhood. It was not high on the to do list. Although my family did not fit into the church community, when I became a Christian, it came with a list of Thou Shalt Nots. Thou shalt not have pleasure, well not too much. But one could find guilt-free pleasure in hard work and church activity.
Pleasure as noted in my
online dictionary is defined as: enjoyment and entertainment,
contrasted with things done out of necessity. Most of daily life
is done out of necessity.
Pleasure –A more
recently acquired taste.
I have two women I connect
with on a deep spiritual level, and for the past four years we have
begun the tradition of The Pink Mountain Retreat, to enjoy
life, to encourage each other, and to drink in God's beauty. In one
of the earlier times as we were eating and laughing, Rita said, she
envisioned God smiling down on us, taking pleasure in the three of us
enjoying our time. I must admit, my mind questioned her idea. Would
God really take pleasure in us having a good/rich time?
I am beginning to believe
so. John Eldredge in his book, Beautiful Outlaw, retells the story of
Jesus' meeting the disciples on the beach after he has risen. It is
Jesus' familiarity with his friends, the way he casually approaches
them, and then asks about the fishing (again) and suggests as he had
once before – Why not try the other side? – implying an
insider joke. As if he delighted in their company.
When do I feel God's
delight? In good company, where the spirit connects.
And in the presence of
Beauty.
I have listed myself as a
seeker of beauty. When I am in the presence of beauty, I feel the
Father's pleasure. The skies, the oceans, the flowers, the mountains
speak comfort and caring into my soul. Beauty is God's universal gift
to us, it is found everywhere.
John O'Donohue in his book
Beauty, The Invisible Embrace has said that: “Beauty
touches and renews our hope when it takes us out of the grid of
ordinary time and brings us to another place, a place where history
ceases and the weight of memory relents, a place ever ancient and
ever new ... No one is ever immune to beauty. Regardless of
background, burdens or limitations, when we find ourselves in a place
of great beauty, clarity, recognition and excitement awaken in us.
... there is an eternal beckoning of the heart that touches what is
still innocent in us.”
God is at the heart of the
Big Picture Beauty.
The soul needs beauty as
much as it needs love.
What
advice would I give to someone who is discouraged and needs to feel
God’s pleasure?
To
seek out beauty.
Ruthlessly
eliminate hurry.
Take
the time to waste time in the presence of beauty. (Guilt free!)
In
thinking about the Father's Day, and beauty this song springs to
mind:
This
is my Father's world,
all nature sings, and round me ringsthe music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.
Jocelyn is author of the book Who is Talking out of My Head?
She blogs about hope in the hard places at: http://whoistalking.wordpress.com
I wholeheartedly agree, Jocelyn. I, too, thought God was more interested in production than frivolity, until the day I learned that many animals are colourblind. In a flash of understanding I realized God made the cacophony of colour coupled with our ability to see it, simply to bring us pleasure. Why would he make creation so extravagantly appealing, if he was simply a utilitarian God? He must enjoy the beauty, which means we can too, since we're made in his image.
ReplyDeleteGuilty pleasure? Not at all. Pleasure is expected!
Thank you Bobbi, I am becoming more and more aware of how beautiful God is, His creation certainly reveals that He is not simply utilitarian.
DeletePink Mountain as in the Pink mountain between Fort St John and Fort Nelson BC? If so I've been and it is very beautiful and serene
ReplyDeleteNot that pink mountain, although that sound lovely, they come to my place in Cochrane where we can see the mountains from my windows, and in the morning sunlight the mountains catch the pink of the sunrise, and the snow reflects the pink-it is beautiful.
DeleteI loved Eldredge's book, "Beautiful Outlaw"--thinking about how Jesus was delighted in his friends, in humanity. And I like your third piece of advice: "Take the time to waste time in the presence of beauty." I need to do more of that, guilt free. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDelete