king of beauty

I serve a God of many facets. A God so rich in characteristics whom I can only begin to mimic justly because of His Spirit that lives within me. He is sovereign, He is truth, He is love, He is peace – the characteristics of such a great God are truly without limits. My human mind cannot fathom how God, who desires to make Himself known, still reveals new traits about Himself to me at the exact needed moment.

Recently I feel I’ve been surrounded by unnecessary ugliness. People have been unkind and rude, I’ve been harsh with others, it’s rained non-stop all winter…and the bubble I find myself in, my immediate surroundings have just felt ugly. Dull. Redundant. Mundane. Ever find yourself in that rut? In my heart, I know this season has been ordained. I’m being prepared for one of the greatest adventures of my life thus far – The World Race! But if I’m being completely transparent, my days are beginning to feel less and less purposeful. I have questioned God by saying, if you have called me to do this then why not just make it happen? Why not just snap your mighty fingers and declare my trip to be fully funded, packed, loaded and on my way? I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated with certain college courses, my job kinda stinks at times, and I find myself feeling lonely. Let me be clear, I’m thankful for my job and my education. I work with some truly wonderful people and I have the opportunity to learn so much. But there are some days, many days actually, that I just want to scream at the top of my lungs, WHY DO I NEED THIS US HISTORY CLASS TO BE A NURSE??!! If you’ve heard shouts of wailing in pain and anguish in the SE section of Huntsville, I can assure you it’s me mourning over History and Statistics!

So what then? What’s the take-away? Did this crazy girl bring me into her mind just to complain that life is a little gray lately? Well sort of, but there is a resolution to this tale of lament, I promise. As I drove home from work last night, I threw myself a little pity party, which is a party I throw quite well. I told myself how I felt about the current ugliness. And yes, God, I know that I am called to be salt and light, but sometimes lights dim with time. They flicker occasionally. I know I’m to be Your hands and feet, Jesus, but remind me of what that light looks like again.

Then I was reminded of something I think many of us forget…a characteristic so sweet one that we visually see millions of times each day…one that is in every face that passes us by, in every living organism, every structure, in flat out everything. Our God is the God of beauty. Sweet, sweet beauty. I believe God created ALL in the way He did so that we could enjoy His world, but also so that we would be encouraged by it. How easy would it have been for God to simply throw something together and call it finished? But instead we are told in Ephesians (2:10) that we are His “handiwork” we are handcrafted, in “Christ Jesus to do good works.” I can picture my Father, the Carpenter and the Potter, creating and molding a world for me to be encouraged by. The Psalmist wrote that “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1) 

We are called to joy, friends! Sweet joy that is only found in the King Himself. I don’t believe we are called to be miserable. When the trials of life seem unbearable and unsettling, there is still joy to be found, I promise. The joy we have in knowing that this world is not our final destination is overwhelming. This season you’re in is not forever, but will pass like the night.

As God reminded me of this joy and beauty, I also remembered a quote from Victor Hugo in Les Misérables. The quote is spoken by the bishop to his sister. The bishop lived in a small house which had gardens The first garden contained vegetables and useful crops, however the second garden contained only flowers. The sister asked the bishop why he had a flower bed instead of having a second vegetable garden to feed even more people…his response is incredible. The bishop answered her, “The beautiful is just as useful as the useful, perhaps even more so.”

In closing, be encouraged by the beauty God has surrounded you with. Find joy in the work of His hands. I pray you are able to look at the stars for a moment longer, admire the curves and contours of the steam leaving your cup of coffee, sniff all the shampoos in the grocery aisle, and wear lots of yellow. Life is filled with beauty because He knew we would need beautiful things during uncomfortable seasons. Drink it in, my friends.