My best friend spoke about this beauty at her church a few weeks ago when they began six Sundays of reflection called Beguiled by Beauty, and I have been internally moodling (musing and doodling) on her words ever since. Cathy graciously allows me to share her reflection here.
Where are you beguiled by beauty, God's visible and invisible presence in your life? I invite you to Stop, Linger, Observe and Wonder at God's marvels wherever you may find them this week, but especially, in the marvel of your own soul...
Beguiled by Beauty
Cathy Coulter
God is beguiled or charmed by beauty. But what kind of beauty are we talking about? This is more than our superficial definitions of pretty. This is about the sacred worth of things that we become aware of when we sense the divine. We have all had experiences of this. I was visiting my brother and family in Cranbrook last weekend I came across a photo of my nineteen year old niece as a new baby and I was so moved by the beauty of of her newborn face. When I showed it to my niece, she said, “Ack!”, not impressed. I told her some day she would know how beautiful she is. I hope that day is not too far in the future.
It is hard for us to see our own beauty. This seems to be the human condition as we lose our innocence and experience the hurts and traumas of life. But we are told that we are created in the image and likeness of God. We are worth all that God is worth and we have a value that cannot be measured. No one can diminish or destroy that value because it belongs completely to God. There is that in you which no one, including yourself, can trash talk. St. Teresa of Avila describes our soul as a castle made of diamond. In the centre of that castle is God waiting for us to come near. Teresa says, “Where would the King of Kings rather be than in the middle of us. That is the most beautiful place in all of creation!”
Life would be so much easier if we realized this, that we are good and beautiful. That we don't have to prove ourselves to be better or worse than others. That there is nothing we have to accomplish to be worthy of being simply here, on earth as part of creation. If we all knew this it would be like being in heaven. Our soul is God’s heaven but we don’t realize it. Jesus knew it, and he knew it about everyone and everything he saw. And just like Jesus, when we know it about ourselves, we will know it about others. And others will see it in themselves, mirrored by us.
Compassion springs from this well of divine love within us. We access this well by slowing down and paying attention to what is right in front of us. When we slow down, God can catch up to us and show us glimpses of that divine beauty. We’ve all had experiences of this too. Moments when you’re caught off guard in the ordinariness of life when you have a moment of spaciousness and wonder and gratitude. It might be in nature, it might be with your loved ones. It might be among the pots and pans. It might happen when you’re walking down the street and see a stranger or when you’re sitting in church and a word or piece of music touches your heart. Maybe tears arise, or maybe you blink and the moment is gone. These are moments that God is sharing with us, moments of beguiling beauty. God is sharing God’s very self with us.
How can we be someone who God doesn’t have to run after so hard? I saw a nice little practice on the internet the other day. A 5 minute retreat called SLOW...S..L...O...W. Stop, linger, observe and wonder. I tried it out on a walk when I was feeling more like getting my walk in than stopping and lingering. I stopped in the presence of a beautiful acacia tree that has caught my eye more than once. I actually set the timer on my phone for 5 minutes and I stood in the shade and lingered. I felt a little silly but I focused on observing the tree. I gradually relaxed and noticed all the dragonflies floating around, and the sharpness of the blue sky against the yellow-green leaves. I gradually developed a sense of wonder which stayed with me as I continued on my walk, for a few more minutes anyway, until my thoughts began to chase each other around again. That’s a very intentional practice. But the moments that catch us off guard can also be times to practice SLOW. Stop when you notice you’ve become absorbed in something beautiful. Linger in that space. Observe what is happening inside you. Allow a feeling of Wonder to arise. Bit by bit, God’s grace will allow you to know the beauty of yourself, and of others and of all things. Pretty, unpretty... all beautiful.
This well of divine love that we can access when we become aware of these moments of beauty are the springs that nourish that cedar tree in Ezekiel (31:3-7).
You are like mighty Assyria,
which was once like a cedar of Lebanon,
with beautiful branches that cast deep forest shade
and with its top high among the clouds.
4 Deep springs watered it
and helped it to grow tall and luxuriant.
The water flowed around it like a river,
streaming to all the trees nearby.
5 This great tree towered high,
higher than all the other trees around it.
It prospered and grew long thick branches
because of all the water at its roots.
6 The birds nested in its branches,
and in its shade all the wild animals gave birth.
All the great nations of the world
lived in its shadow.
7 It was strong and beautiful,
with wide-spreading branches,
for its roots went deep
into abundant water.
You are that tree giving shelter and shade to others. You are majestic in your beauty with your spreading boughs, your roots reaching deeply into an abundance of water.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please take a minute and tell me what you think...