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Beauty and ...

 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3)

                Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (I Peter 3:3-4)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. (Psalm 5:11)

The next two practical ideas for wintering well are to rejoice in beauty and savor simple joys. Three warnings come to mind. The first is that we must not worship beauty or joy. They should not be the purpose of our lives. Beauty and joy bring good into our lives until or unless they become our masters, not our friends.

The passage from I Peter warns us: function comes before beauty or joy. It doesn’t matter that it looks good if it’s broken. At the same time, broken does not mean irreparable. What can be fixed can be beautiful or bring joy again – it just needs to be repaired.

The third warning is that we are to find the greatest beauty and joy in God because otherwise, we’re likely to need to review the first warning. These are all obvious, but it felt as if we needed the “legal” advisories.

I define joy as the sense of contentment found in the firm belief that one is cared for by someone who is ready, willing, and able to care for us. Others might say it’s the feeling that things are or will be somewhere in the range of good to fantastic – or (to reference Shakespeare) between all’s well that ends well and as you like it.

Beauty is a little more difficult because it depends on which senses have priority in your life. I think we also mix beauty up with “what we like” and with things like sex appeal. What I like may not be beautiful or good for me, and sex appeal is often not attractive. We need to educate or examine ourselves and start where we are. The author suggests we enjoy wearing good china or wearing a pretty outfit. She suggests that we enjoy sipping a warm drink from a favorite mug or making a simple new recipe. These are good ideas. You may have others.

For me, both beauty and simple joys tends to go back to the idea of the habit of attention. Beauty catches my attention. Savoring a mug of something involves not chugging it down, but paying attention to each sip, noticing the colors of the sunset, or the garden, or the room. It involves something that positively catches your attention. It involves things fitting together, being ordered.  Your junk drawer will (probably) never be beautiful unless you are very creative and disciplined. Beauty is why I take pictures, even if they aren’t beautiful, in hopes that one might be.

And, as already pointed out, ultimately, God is beautiful. God is our source of joy. Seeking beauty and joy involves looking for and at what He has given us, and what those things tell us about Him.

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