The Nature of Beauty

Beauty.
What IS beauty?
(Laughs to self)
I don’t think I’ve ever tried to define it before. I don’t define beauty. I don’t have to.
I just know.
Beauty for me is when something is so well made that it pleases me. It can be seen, yes, but it can also be felt and heard and smelt and even tasted. A sunset appears exquisite. A raindrop feels marvelous. A seagull sounds spectacular. A rose smells wondrous. A banana tastes . . . beautiful.
If you hadn’t already guessed it, I am one of those sensitive souls who see beauty in nature. After all, my God is the Ultimate Beauty, and anything directly from Him retains so much more beauty than anything second hand. Even this fallen world holds more beauty for me than the creations of man. What is more beautiful, the fallen creation of God, or the creations of the fallen creature? I choose nature.
Apart from God Himself, nature best satisfies the ultimate purpose of beauty: the glory of God. The more I study something, the more I come to admire it, the more I enjoy it, and the more beautiful it becomes for me. I pick up a leaf to study it, marvel at its beauty, and to magnify the Great God who created it.
Beauty in nature, beauty in architecture, beauty in ingenuity, beauty in creativity, beauty in man himself. I find that the more I come to know someone, the more I come to love them. Someone who appears less than attractive becomes a radiant light in my life, and the beauty I see radiates from them. I do have people that I would love to hate, but, by the grace of God, I love them dearly. The beauty in their faces stream out to meet me. The beauty in their hearts warms me, as I see them for who they are, loving them despite who they are.
True beauty is found only in God, and the best kinds of beauty are the truest reflections of Him. So, I keep my eye out for anything that I can praise God for.
Some think Jesus might’ve been ugly.
For me, He’s the most beautiful man I’ll ever know.
God’s beauty. I seek it, I search for it, and I want to make beauty for His glory.
What is beauty?
Beauty is that which calls upon us to remember God.