Humbling Beauty

 

Based on the reading thus far, it is obvious that as Christians, an appreciation for beauty is essential. Since God is at the heart of all things beautiful and we ought to reflect His beauty, we must be able to recognize and be affected by beauty in order to fully revel in His love and really enjoy His communion. The thing about beauty is that we cannot actually be awestruck by something we perceive with arrogance. I could hardly stand at the peak of a mountain and gaze out at God’s majestic creation, breathless at the sight as I drink it in, and cynically scoff that it is “no big deal” all at the same time. In order to appreciate beauty, we must first have humility, and when we do appreciate beauty, we find that beauty humbles us all the more.

 

In beauty, we find God. In response to beauty, we worship God by giving back beauty to Him through the imagination that He has given us. I think that this is precisely what Janine Langen is talking about when she says that the Christian imagination is “sacramental” and that it has a “priestly role” with which we give this beauty back to its author (67). It is also along the same lines that Luci Shaw refers to us as co-creators to the Creator (99). Therefore, my expression of imagination through art can be considered my way of returning beauty to Him who created beauty.

           

However, it does not stop here. My artistic response to beauty by participating in the creation of beauty is not enough. In fact, my appreciation for undeniable beauty is not enough. What is equally if not more important is how I look for beauty in things that are not commonly seen as beautiful. If I only allowed myself to be awed by the things that easily catch my eye and dismiss all the other things this world has to offer, I miss out. As was brought up many times in the readings, it is not a matter of how “Christian” a text is, but rather a matter of how I read the text as a Christian. It is not about how beautiful a piece of literature may be, but how I see beauty through that piece of literature. Too many times, Christians sit on their high horses and shun secular works that do not shy away from the ugliness and perversity of this fallen world not realizing that such a response is probably the most un-Christian response a Christian could give. I for one am guilty of making such judgments.

           

This is where the importance of humility comes into play. All of mankind – Christian or not – is made in the image of God and therefore possesses that creative quality of the Maker. Because of this, we must approach all forms of art with an open mind to intentionally look for the beauty that may be imbedded within. Sometimes it may be blatant; other times, it may not ever be found. Regardless of how obvious it is, the important part is to look out for it. To disregard a piece of art as worthless trash just because it does not sparkle is not only arrogant, but shameful. As Christians, we have a higher obligation to recognize the Maker of the universe in the products of His creation’s creation no matter how distorted it may look on the surface. We never know how much more profound that tiny speck of beauty could be, and when it finally reveals itself, I can only imagine how fulfilling and humbling such a discovery would be.