beauty.

This weekend I was priveleged to go on a retreat with a group of incredibly awesome people. I was disconnected with the world of Western Kentucky University and locked into the campground of Fall Creek Falls and the sights it had to offer. We took part in bible studies, seminars, church services and a hike. It wasnt until I was in a complete trance while looking at the falls that I realized how easily we can completely look over the beauty of the creator.

I wonder if we are so consumed with sadness, anger and destruction that sometimes completely captivates us, that we miss the beauty that surrounds us daily. Do we ever sit and witness the creation of God or is it overlooked because schoolwork, friends and daily routines remain at the forefront of our thoughts? The Beauty of our creator is something we should costantly be looking for because it can sustain us as Christians. When things seem hectic and almost impossible, God has a way of showing His beauty through people, places and experiences. When I say beauty, I dont mean just a physical appearance, but I mean an inner beauty that can only be seen if we actually take a minute to stop and look. Each of us wants beauty in our lives, whether it is the way we look, the things we create or the experiences we have because beauty radiates happiness. C.S. Lewis states it well, “We do not want merely to see beauty... we want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it."

Beauty can shape us as people. It can help us appreciate the miniscule things that are usually overlooked, it can help us to live in the moment rather than always seeking to the future, and it can show us God in some of the easiest and smallest ways. Fall Creek Falls is a beauiful place that was intracetley formed in an image of God. It is a place that brought me back to the reality of the world God created and it gave me hope that difficult situations usually have a beautiful outcome, big or small.