"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship." (Psalm 18:1 NLT)
I believe beauty is a choice we make. But also an instinct; a subconscious reaction and shift of emotion to an external circumstance. To experience beauty is an act of faith.
Recently, as I was walking home from our community mailbox late one afternoon, I witnessed a "falling star". The split second experience made me want to tell everyone. I couldn't wait to get home to tell my husband what I'd witnessed. And yet, in this brief but beautifully mesmerizing phenomenon, I felt a warm stirring in my chest, a highly personal and private moment where I heard my own small inner voice saying, "That was God!"
The meteor I witnessed was likely hundreds of kilometers away and the object itself likely only a few centimeters in diameter. Massive yet minute. Global yet intimate. God's beauty is inexplicable and inspiring.
"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." (Psalm 104:24 KJV)And just as God orchestrates a spectacular act so small and yet so enormous as to remind us that He alone is the Creator of all (Genesis 1), in that very moment it felt like His personal message was displayed for me alone and yet for the entire world simultaneously.
As a Christian writer, I bear the enormous responsibility of speaking to my audience in words that point them to our Lord in a personal way and yet in kinship as brothers and sisters of Christ. At the same time, my deep faith reminds me that the burden is not entirely my own but is borne through the guidance and collaboration of the Heavenly Father.
To a writer, words are the tools of creation. God has gifted and equipped us with the ability to inspire beauty in every keystroke. In the dark moments of a writer's life, beauty will be born through the story that leads the reader towards light and healing. Through experiences of joy and happiness, beauty is magnified and shared when a writer inspires the reader to smile and feel uplifted. Beauty is private yet public as each experience comes first from deep within a writer's heart, touched by the Holy Spirit, and then amplified to the world at large.
Beauty unfolds for the writer when a reader is moved to both share and yet personally savour our words—God's words—of meaningful inspiration and nurturing. Beauty is experienced when our messages stir a reader's sense of intimacy yet communal connection to God and His Word.
A "falling star", or meteor, is basically a piece of rock that has been flying through space for perhaps billions of years, and vapourizes with a brilliant flash upon entering earth's atmosphere. From the day of Genesis 1:1, that piece of rock was traversing throughout the galaxy waiting for its moment to blaze one dazzling moment of beauty into the sky over my tiny place on this gargantuan planet. Every moment in time is on God's schedule, unfolding at His command. The beauty within our written messages is also being formed within God's plan and being read and appreciated, reflected on and embraced at just the precise right moment for someone in our audience; His perfect timing.
Whether invisible, such as a lilac-scented spring breeze, tangible, such as a newborn fawn, or heavenly, as a miracle fulfilled, beauty is a gift that inspires our writing. When we draw from every form of God's beauty, cobble it into a collection of thoughts and reflections, and share it with others, a beautiful gift is both given and received.
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11 ESV)
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You've written a lovely post on the topic of beauty, Peggianne. These words of yours, "beauty will be born through the story that leads the reader towards light and healing" touched my heart this morning. Our stories may have their dark moments, yet when they point to the light of Christ, the darkness is redeemed. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePeggianne, as a writer, I am drawn to this line you wrote: "When we draw from every form of God's beauty, cobble it into a collection of thoughts and reflections, and share it with others, a beautiful gift is both given and received."
ReplyDeleteYour post today is a beautiful gift. I receive it. Thank you.
Thank you for your succinct and expressive post, Peggianne.These words of yours particularly struck a chord with me, " Beauty is private yet public as each experience comes first from deep within a writer's heart, touched by the Holy Spirit, and then amplified to the world at large." What a privilege it is to share the beauty we experience with our readers.
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