April 26 by Esperanza Ng CM –
We live in a world that emphasizes the beautiful and minimizes whatever the common people deem as unattractive. We like to say that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but beauty is almost always there—whether the beholder sees it or not. Beauty is all around us. In our every day activities, whether it is in our words, our actions, our relationships, or our vocation, beauty can be gleaned. Even from the ugliest and most frustrating of circumstances, beauty can be present. We just have to look for it.
As Christians, it is essential to have an appreciation for beauty. 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 truly 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, only to cynically scoff that it is “no big deal” all at the same time. In order to appreciate beauty, we must first have humility. 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 and gifts/talents that He has given us. As human beings, we have been endowed with various skills and abilities that are unique to us.
Some of us pick up a paintbrush and can transform a canvas into a masterpiece, some of us open our mouths and crowds flock around to hear that angelic voice, some of us look at bits and pieces of electronic components and are able to transform them into a workable machine, while others of us can create entire parallel universes through books and films.
Regardless of whether or not we are considered “creative” or “artistic” in the traditional sense of the word, each and every one of us are artists in our own right, according to the imagination we have been given. In some small way, we are all constantly creating little fragments of beauty as we go about our lives.
This is precisely what Janine Langen is talking about in her article, “The Christian Imagination” when she says that the Christian imagination is “sacramental” and that it has a “priestly role” with which we give beauty back to the Author (67). It is also along the same lines that Luci Shaw, in her work, “Beauty and the Creative Impulse,” refers to us as co-creators to the Creator (99). Therefore, my expression of imagination through my God given gifts and talents 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. It is not a matter of how “Christian” a text, movie, stage performance, or piece of art is, but rather a matter of how I perceive the subject as a Christian.
Too many times, we sit on our high horses and shun 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. 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 human creation with an open mind to intentionally look for the beauty that may be imbedded within.
At times, it may be blatant; other times, it may never be found. Regardless of how obvious it is, the important part is to look out for it. To disregard artistic pieces or the things we see around us as worthless trash just because they do 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, one can only imagine how fulfilling and humbling such a discovery would be!
Langen, Janine. “The Christian Imagination.” The Christian Imagination. Ed. Leland Ryken. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2002. 63-80. Print.
Shaw, Luci. “Beauty and the Creative Impulse.” The Christian Imagination. Ed. Leland Ryken. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2002. 81-99. Print.
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