An Eye for Beauty – Part 5 – Making and Pursuing Beauty
But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.” Mark 14.6
Creators like God
In Mark 14.6, Jesus said that the woman who anointed His head with expensive perfume did a good thing, a beautiful thing. That word, καλὸν (kalon) can mean both “beautiful” and “good.” Jesus is saying that what this woman did in sacrificing that expensive perfume to anoint Him for His death was beautiful and good; it pleased Him, Who is all Beauty.
We should be encouraged from this example to believe that we also can make beautiful things—oh not necessarily works of art or compositions of enduring value, although we should not shy away from trying, if the Lord so leads. We who have been made in the image of God are not only able to appreciate true beauty, as He does, but to create it, as He does, as well.
Making and meaning
In his excellent book, Culture Making, Andy Crouch explains that “making things” is of the essence of what it means to be a human being. By making things—relationships, careers, homes, conversations, products and services, and myriad other artifacts, institutions, and conventions—human beings fulfill part of what it means
to be made in the image of God.
In making things, we make sense of our world, because we impose a particular meaning on our world by the things we make. This is the work of culture, a calling uniquely reserved for human beings. As Andy Crouch says, “culture is God’s original plan for humanity—and it is God’s original gift to humanity, both duty and grace.” As human beings, we are continually engaged in creating and using culture. As the redeemed of the Lord, we must seek to ensure, to the best of our ability, that the culture we make and use refracts the character of the God Who has called us to this work. And that will mean, among other things, that we must strive to make and use culture in ways that refract the beauty of God.
Begins in the soul
Just as the creation translates the light of God’s ineffable glory into things, vistas, sounds, motion, and so forth—things we experience as beautiful, and that bear witness to our beautiful God (Ps. 19.1-4)—so we in all our cultural activities have been invested with that same potential. We can do things which God receives with pleasure, things which to Him are beautiful, and which, before others, can refract His beauty and bring Him glory.
Indeed, it is our calling in life, no matter what we are doing, to live this way (1 Cor. 10.31). Making beautiful
things begins in our soul—heart, mind, and conscience. When our souls are fully devoted to making beautiful things, our hands and words will soon enough learn their proper functions.
Thus, we must train our hearts to desire beautiful things. Whatever does not fit the criteria of pleasing God must be set aside, and we must seek out those things which bring us pleasure over and over, which we delight to study even more deeply, and which train our heart for godliness as well. We must learn to think about beauty and to discipline our mind to know and scrutinize things, to discern the beauty of the world. And we must make desiring, knowing, and making beauty, a core value within our conscience, so that we gravitate only to things that are truly beautiful, and eschew all else.
We can become more conscious of things beautiful and make our lives things of beauty by practicing three disciplines. First, daily admit that there is much in your life that is not beautiful. Let the Word of God be a mirror for you, and call on the Lord to reveal anything which is not of His beauty—whether thoughts, affections, values, words, or deeds—so that you can confess and repent of it.
Second, seek out reliable guides to help you appreciate beautiful things and make yours a beautiful life. Like the Ethiopian eunuch seeking guidance from Philip, we need to turn to those who know the beauty of the Lord to help us see and appreciate it. Various Christian writers, artists, composers, and poets can help us here, as can having a soul friend to help you in growing your soul for God’s glory and beauty.
Finally, look at your life as a thing-in-the-making, and ask the Lord to show you how to bring more beauty—more of Christ and His beauty—into every aspect of your life. We are all called to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus—Who is beauty personified—and the Spirit of God is working to make us more like Him. Press on in the process so that more of the beauty of the Lord can be seen in you each day.
As we increase in our ability to know and appreciate beauty, looking to Jesus and waiting on Him, let us bring the beauty of the Lord to expression through all the unique forms He has entrusted to us—words, deeds, possession, work, family, church, and more. The pursuit of beauty is a lifelong endeavor, closely interwoven with the pursuit of God, and filled with the promise of godly pleasure and blessing.
Today, how will you improve the beauty God has invested in your life, so that you show His beauty in all your relationships, roles, and responsibilities?