An Eye for Beauty – Part 4 – Capable of Beauty

Not just for the few
In our society, we tend to regard beauty as something exceptional. Not everybody has it and not everybody can make it. Beauty is for the rich and famous. The artists and musicians. The standouts and stars.

We might say that one of our peers is “good looking”, but we will probably shy away from saying they have real beauty. We hope that our work is acceptable and maybe even commendable; but would we consider it a thing of beauty? And when we do use the term, we think it’s just hyperbole. Like “great!” or “fantastic”.

So we might pull a bright red tomato from its vine and say of it, “It’s a beauty!” Or we might exclaim of a fastball that cuts the inside corner for a called third strike, “What a beauty!” Or a long touchdown pass, a new puppy, a painting done by one of our kids. We think that all these have a kind of beauty, but, you know, not really. To the contrary, when we say these things have beauty, we’re not appropriating some highbrow concept for a downgraded and quotidian use. Hardly. We’re simply acknowledging the obvious:

Beauty is all around us!

As we have previously explained, human beings were made for beauty. We need beauty to grow and thrive, and so God has obliged us by surrounding us, day-in and day-out, with beauty. And the beauty in creation bears witness to the beauty of God.

And then there is this from Psalm 149.4:

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.

The humble people, those who look to God and trust in Him, are beautified by the gift of salvation. We who have been thus beautified are inherently capable of beauty. In our speech. By small, thoughtful deeds. In the care we take of how we present ourselves. In the discussions in which we participate, the enjoyments we choose, the way we regard and treat our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, how we do our work, the disciplines by which we train our minds and hearts to be more Christlike. All these and much, much more present opportunities for beauty. God has beautified us with salvation, and He intends for that beauty—the beauty that refracts Him—to be visible in and through us to our world.

Does this mean we must all become artists? Or poets?

Not at all. Beauty comes out most surprisingly in the humble deeds of those humble folk who have been beautified with salvation. Does this mean that, after all, beauty truly is relative? Well, yes and no. The type and degree of beauty you bring to the world will differ from that of other believers. Our goal, like the purpose of all creation and the best of culture, is to refract the beauty of God. And there are unlimited ways to do this, but none of us will be able to practice them all. Thus, beauty will be relative to our calling in the Kingdom and the people and places we impact.

So we need to learn to think near and act small. And I want to consider one example from Scripture that can encourage us in bringing more beauty into our lives.

In Acts 9.36-43 we read the story of Dorcas and her being resurrected from the dead. Dorcas was a much-loved disciple. She ministered to those near to her, the widows of the churches in Joppa, in small but significant ways. Many benefited from her labors, since “all the widows” mourned her passing. Dorcas was “full of good works and charitable deeds.” When Peter arrived, these widows “stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them” (v. 39). Let’s reflect on this report. What can we learn about beauty?

First, beauty is not a passive quality. It doesn’t wait for those who might benefit from it to find their way to it. Beauty reaches out to those near at hand to bring the beauty of God and His salvation to them. Whatever those “good works” and “charitable deeds” might have been, they were doubtless small but many; and by them Dorcas showed the beauty of Lord.

Second, beauty considers the needs of others. Beauty is not mere self-expression. We might say that beauty is “others-enhancing.” Beauty comes to others bringing pleasure, because it meets some need, be it ever so small, in their lives. That need might be physical, emotional, spiritual, or just the need for a good laugh or an unexpected “Attaboy!” Beauty can break out in all kinds of situations.

Third, beauty takes time and might require some extraordinary effort. Beauty doesn’t just happen. We must prepare and work at it. Dorcas didn’t just start making tunics and garments. She learned this craft and worked to perfect it so that she could bring beauty to the women she loved so much. She had to have spent much time in preparing for these expressions of beauty—planning for just the right color and size for each woman, purchasing the material for the garments, designing and making each one. Think how much Dorcas was not able to do because she was taking the time and making the effort to bring beauty into the lives of her friends.

And finally, the Lord sets His favor on beauty. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead, and in so doing, continued the propagation of the beauty of God in one woman’s Personal Mission Field.

We who have been beautified with the salvation of the Lord are beautified by Him and in Him. We make the Lord known—even and perhaps especially—in the small, everyday efforts we make and the extraordinary efforts we undertake to bring beauty to others (1 Cor. 10.31).

Today, how will the beauty of the Lord show through you? Preview your day in prayer—the tasks, people, and situations God has appointed for you. Prepare now, thinking near and small, to make the most of your time and to glorify God as one of His beautified and saved ones.