This is a recent essay I wrote for the English class I am taking with Sharper Quill. One of the subjects we studied was Christian's and Aesthetics. I feel passionate about beauty, and was inspired to dig in for deeper study on this topic. I've only scratched the surface of this amazing topic but look forward to a better understanding of God, beauty and Christianity in the future. May this be an inspiration to live a life of beauty for the glory of God!
In Pursuit of Beauty: The Importance of Beauty in the Life of a Believer
“One thing have I desired of the Lord . . . That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord . . .” (New Kings James Bible Psalms 27:4). God designed our hearts to yearn for beauty, a desire which cannot be consummated until we turn in worship to Him, the Essence of beauty. “We do not want merely to see beauty, though God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words-to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it” (Lewis 8). To fulfill this longing means unity with the One who created it, which, in turn, produces a desire to surround ourselves with beauty on earth. As believers, we should encircle our lives with beauty. As a believer, beauty is vitally important for at least four reasons: beauty is a part of who God is; God loves, desires, and even commands beauty of His people; and we, as image bearers of God, should reflect His beauty in our person and homes.
Plato believed ‘beauty’, like ‘goodness’ or ‘justice’, was a ‘divine, eternal existence’ (“Beauty” 2). Beauty is infinitely connected to truth and goodness, and all three are attributes of the Divine. Unlike the study of aesthetics today, which concentrates on beauty as relating to human sensibility, classical philosophers studied beauty in connection to the Eternal. Plato viewed our world as a reflection of the ‘perfect world of Ideas’ where truth, beauty and goodness epitomized perfection. (“Beauty” 3) These elements are all unified and inter-related. Truth is by its nature beautiful and good. Goodness is also both true and beautiful. Beauty is defined by what is true and good. We, as Christians, can agree with Plato in that these ‘Idea’s are culminated in the Divine (A Christian Vision). However, to the Christian, truth, beauty, and goodness are core elements of our God. They are only found in God, they originated from God, and they are part of who God is.
Truth and goodness are of unquestionable importance to many believers. Yet, how many think of beauty as important enough be a part of these elements? Beauty is easily neglected and passed over as if it is only the icing on the cake, a nice touch, but optional. Beauty is not optional in the life of a believer. Not only is beauty a part of God’s essence, but He delights and dwells in it. In Exodus 25, God gave specific directions to the Israelites building his tabernacle. This was to be a place carefully fashioned with precious materials, creating a sanctuary of splendor for His dwelling place. His priests attending in the tabernacle were to be clothed in beautiful apparel. These garments were painstakingly crafted of gold, purple, scarlet, and linen (Exodus 28). This earthly reflection of God’s glory was important to Him. We must not make the mistake in believing that God is honored by ugliness or plainness when he so carefully commanded his tabernacle to be a place of exquisite craftsmanship and his priests to be arrayed in beauty. Nonetheless, it’s important to remember God desires beauty of the heart just as much as outside beauty. Outside and inside beauty work together, like the different organs of our body. Each improves the other.
Beauty is of importance to many areas of life, but in the home, this need is especially great. “For the Christian who is consciously in communication with the Creator, surely his home should reflect something of the artistry, the beauty, and order of the One whom he is representing, and in whose image he has been made.” (qtd. in Willits 28) Edith Schaeffer clearly affirms the importance of beauty in our homes. Creating a beautiful home does not mean we should become materialistic or use our homes to boast of our wealth. We cannot use ‘beauty’ as an excuse for sin. Instead, use beauty as it was meant to be used: to bring joy to yourself and your fellow men. When God created Adam and Eve in Genesis 1, he placed them in a home of indescribable beauty; a lush garden in an earth still sparkling from creation. This was God’s ideal dwelling place for us, a place designed to give us delight and comfort. Cultivating beauty within the home encourages an atmosphere of joy, harmony, peace, and comfort for all who pass through its doors. In consciously transforming our homes into realms of beauty, we show love to all who enter its doors. One way we can do this is by appealing to the senses. The woman in Proverbs 7 successfully illustrates the power of sensory appeal. She used this power in a wicked way, but as we seek to decorate our homes, we can use this example to remember the influence for good that sensory decorating can exert. Fresh flowers, diffusing their perfume throughout the room, uplifting art prints or photographs, fabrics of varying weights and feel, splashes of color, live plants, using a myriad of texture, candles, and beautiful music are all ways to make your home a place that touches the heart.
The role of beauty in our person is of additional importance. Dress and appearance are controversial topics in Christian culture. Interestingly, scripture reveals that God not only desires beauty in His dwelling place, but also of His people. “So the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him” (Psalms 45). The virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 arrayed herself in ‘fine linen and purple’ (verse 24). In addition, she took care of her family in like manner, clothing them in scarlet (verse 23). Abigail, Ruth, Esther, Sarah, Rebecca, the woman in Song of Solomon, and Rachel, were all women praised for their inner and outer beauty throughout Scripture. The King’s daughter, in Psalms 45, is “all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors” (verses 13-14). These verses are speaking of the church, representing inward and outward beauty. We are to be robed inwardly with the glory of Christ’s righteousness. This hidden beauty should manifest itself in our outward person. Just as the King’s daughter is ‘all glorious within’ while outwardly robed in shimmering gold. Would God portray His ideal women dressing beautifully in Scripture if He forbade it for women today? God is truth, and by His very nature is not contradictory. Therefore, would He would lift up something as glorious to use in illustration yet condemn the outworking of that in his people? Dress is an outlet of expression and undeniably communicates to others a message about who you are or seeking to be. As Christians serving a beautiful God, we should be portraying this truth to the world. Beautiful clothing does not have to be flashy or immodest. Admittedly, as in many other areas of life, we can be led by our selfish desires and lusts when we decide what to wear in the morning. However, our propensity to sin does not erase the principles of scripture that reveal God’s desire for beauty in His people. Vanity, extravagance, immodesty and sloppiness are evil. But these problems stem from the heart. They are not caused by our dress. Christian women should be brimming with inward and outward beauty, each enhancing the other. Imagine the picture of a soft, feminine, delicately modest, radiantly joyful, Christian woman, clothed in beautiful attire becoming to her person. This is the picture of beauty we should be modeling to the world. God created every woman uniquely beautiful. Let us do the best we can with what He has given us.
In summary, I will close with a quote from Roy Atwood, the President of New Saint Andrews College. “While the world may be busy pursuing “art for art’s sake” or treating aesthetics like it rested on the bottom of the food chain, Christians should adorn their lives, their homes, their worship with humble acts of aesthetic faithfulness because they know the Creator and Lord of Aesthetics delights in them” (Cultura 2) We are not all gifted artistically, but everyone has the ability to cultivate beauty in their lives. The benefits of this perspective are many, one being simply inner fulfillment. As Christians, let us not only live a beautiful life for ourselves, but also for the glory it gives our God.
Works Cited
Lewis, C.S. “The Weight of Glory”. 8 June 1946. doxaweb. 7 November 2008 <http://www.doxaweb.com/assets/doxa.pdf>.
Willits, Terry. Creating a Sensational Home. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.
Atwood, Roy. “Faithful Aesthetic Acts.” Credenda/Agenda. Cultura. Vol.8, No.2. 7 November 2008. The New Kings James Bible. Republic of Korea: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1988.
Mohler, Al. “A Christian Vision of Beauty, Part One.” 16 November 2005. albertmohler.com. 6 October 2008. <http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2005-11-16Photo courtesy of victoriantradingco.com and allposters.com
4 comments:
In your list of things that can add the beauty of a home…those things are all good and wonderful, but don’t forget about ancient, discolored books with frayed bindings. :P
It’s a blessing to see someone dealing with this in a way that is pure and right. I loved the part about the Tabernacle…very good point. I’m sure you could include plenty more passages that help to prove your point, but why? This makes it pretty obvious and clear. It’s okay to endeavor to be beautiful. It’s okay to redeem the arts. It’s okay to be a light in the darkness. All for His glory.
It’s easy, and quite understandable, to be reactionary against worldliness and reject everything that smells even remotely like it (I’m sure you know full well what I’m talking about ;). But if we reject it all in its entirety like that, we would have a strait-faced, stifled, and as you said, ‘plain’ existence…like the Amish; which is better than a worldly lifestyle living in fleshly lusts, but God created us for much more.
Evil is corrupted good. Too bad we have to trace it back to see what the good was! But it’s worth tracing back, isn’t it. Thanks for helping us get on the right track in our pursuit of fulfillment and pleasure.
Have a happy (and beautiful) Thanksgiving!!! :D
This is an excellent essay, well worth the read.
Mrs. A
so....what kind of grade did this get from the esteemed professor?
D
That essay was beautiful, Sally! As well as clear and explanatory. That is a subject that I have wondered about, but not put much research into. I think you may have inspired me to begin looking into it!
Raylene
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