Beauty

Why haven’t I been posting lately on the ole blog here?  Of course, there are several reasons.  But first and foremost is this:

God has captivated my eyes, my heart, and my spirit with the beauty of His creation, and I have been caught up in developing the art of capturing the moments of wonder and splendor in digital imagery through the lens of my iPhone 5. For guys like me, approaching life with steady balance can be an elusive process, and I can get…well, a bit obsessive.  Thankfully, God has blessed me with a wife and some true friends who help to keep me in check.  And while this newly emerging photographer in me may need to be kept reasonable reined into balance, he is here to stay.  And I must say I am feeling more complete than I ever have before as I am becoming more deeply enthralled by the entrancing beauty and elusive mystery of God’s creation around me.  I think it is a move closer to the heart of God.  It is richly satisfying, even as it leaves me longing for more and more – something that seems very like the fingerprints of God to me.  In their book, “Captivating,” John and Stasi Eldredge put it this way:

Beauty is essential to God.  No – that’s not putting it strongly enough.  Beauty is the essence of God.

The first way we know this is through nature, the world God has given us.  Scripture says that the created world is filled with the glory of God (Isa. 6:3).  In what way?  Primarily through its beauty.  We had a wet spring here in Colorado, and the wildflowers are coming up everywhere – lupine and wild iris and Shasta daisy and a dozen others.  The aspens have their heart-shaped leaves again, trembling in the slightest breeze.  Massive thunderclouds are rolling in, bringing with them the glorious sunsets they magnify.  The earth in summer is brimming with beauty, beauty of such magnificence and variety and unembarrassed lavishness, ripe beauty, lush beauty, beauty given to us with such generosity and abundance it is almost scandalous.

Nature is not primarily functional.  It is primarily beautiful.  Stop for a moment and let that sink in.  We’re so used to evaluating everything (and everyone) by their usefulness, this thought will take a minute or two to dawn on us.  Nature is not primarily functional.  It is primarily beautiful.  Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something we need in large and daily doses (for our God has seen fit to arrange for this).  Nature at the height of its glory shouts, Beauty is essential!revealing that Beauty is the essence of God.  The whole world is full of his glory.

– John & Stasi Eldredge, “Captivating”

Yes.  Yes!  A thousand times, YES!  And even as I continue drawing nearer to the beauty of God’s heart through the wonders of nature in Baton Rouge and beyond, may the eyes of your heart also be opened wherever you dwell to the awesome beauty and wonder in the people, plants, critters, and clouds God has placed in your neck of the woods.  And may you see Him more clearly in the process.  And become ever more amazed and awed.

I leave you now with some of the moments of wonder I have shared quite recently with The Original and Sustaining Artist of the Universe…

(And for some reason, the two enlarged pictures below look terribly blurry, despite several attempts to “correct.”  Life Lesson for Roger: Things in life are rarely perfect.  Accept life on life’s terms.)