Awe and Beauty

While in Bariloche, I was surrounded by awe-inspiring beauty. How do you define beauty?
It's hard to describe. I feel like I am most often struck by it in nature--a stunning sunset, a pretty flower, a gorgeous landscape. Sometimes I notice it in love expressed between people--like a mom kissing her baby's forehead. I wonder how God defines beauty. The Bible says when he made the world he called it "good." We were made to appreciate these good things, don't you think?

Psalm 95: 4-6

"In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;"

There is something about the mountains. When I see them, I understand what it means to biblically fear God. All I can do is stand or sit in awe of their majesty stretching toward the clouds. It seems so easy to get distracted by life and forget the magnificence that surrounds us.

The pictures don't do it justice. I'm sure they still wouldn't, even if I had better photography equipment and skills. It makes me wonder about how we long to capture moments. To me, it points to the fact that we either have an overwhelming desire to control (time in this case) or we long for something permanent, something lasting, something eternal if you will. The book of Ecclesiastes describes it this way: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." 3:11

Seeing the masterfully designed diversity of plants perfectly suited for their environment, millions of stars whispering of galaxies faraway, the sun dancing like diamonds over the water, a tree that's 1500 years old, makes me realize how small and fleeing my existence is. It helps to put the things of life into perspective.