Beauty
My wife and I recently celebrated our 30th anniversary by taking a trip to Kauai. We wanted to do this on our 20th anniversary and couldn’t, then on our 25th and couldn’t, but were finally able to get there for our 30th. It was good to be together, with no work or home responsibilities in such a beautiful natural setting. We laughed a lot, relaxed a lot, got outside a lot, and marveled that it has already been 30 years!
The first couple of days, while I could see the beauty of the island and ocean, I wasn’t really experiencing it. In some sense, my heart just wasn’t impacted by it in the way that it normally is when I’m in an environment that is so beautiful. I prayed that God would work so that the beauty would reach me at that deeper heart level, and he graciously answered that prayer. I wrote the following in my journal:
“I hadn’t really experienced the natural beauty here yet, and prayed God would pierce my heart with it. Today, he did. Went snorkeling at Poipu Beach and saw several different beautiful species of tropical fish. The reds, yellows, blues, oranges - vibrant and beautiful. Something about being in the water with them, just watching them, I loved it. The natural beauty of everything else seemed more real, somehow, after that. How much of God’s beauty and the beauty of his kingdom do I also miss, due to the condition of my heart? It’s all here, if I have eyes and heart to see.”
Sadly, we can’t all live in Hawaii, but there is natural beauty all around us, if we take the time to see it, be in it, and experience it. The beauty of creation gives us a small taste of the vast beauty of God. I hope to grow in my understanding and experience of both kinds of beauty in the coming months and years. In a world obsessed with efficiency and productivity, our souls need the tonic of beauty.
Pride Month
The culture wars continue, and only seem to worsen as the months and years go by. Consider a few recent headlines:
“Anheuser-Busch Facilities Face Threats after Bud Light Backlash”
“Bud Light Sales Continue to Plummet after Transgender Marketing Controversy”
“Target Stores Receive Bomb Threats as Pride Backlash Persists”
“Target on the Defensive after Pulling LGBTQ+ Themed Products”
“Should Christians Ever Wear an LGBT+ Pride Patch?”
What if instead of focusing on all of this, we followed the way of Jesus and related to others, all others, first and foremost in humility and love? What if instead of arguing about these issues on social media, boycotting, or not boycotting, we did something more important and meaningful? What if we invited a member of the LGBTQ+ community over for dinner? And what if we did so simply to show a bit of the hospitality and love of Christ? I personally can’t imagine a better thing to do during Pride month, regardless of where you come down on these issues, than sharing your home and a meal with someone, with no agenda other than to get to know them and love them. (I’d also add that if your dinner guest shares about the ways in which Christians and the church have hurt or mistreated them, don’t be defensive. Express sorrow for that mistreatment, in a spirit of humble love.)
All human beings are God’s image on the earth. Let’s allow this truth to guide us in our relationships with others. Let’s reject the tactics of the purveyors of the culture wars that ultimately dehumanize us all.
Reading Recommendations
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer
The title of this book comes from something Dallas Willard would say, that we need to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives. I read this book during our time in Kauai. It is rich, insightful, enjoyable, and intensely practical. I highly encourage you to read this book, and pick 2-3 things to apply from it. The chapter on the discipline of slowing is worth the price of the book. There are several practices I’m going to try, inspired by this book (a regular 24 hour time away, practice a weekly sabbath, and put sharper boundaries around email and social media usage). There are others that I want to recommit to in light of this book, such as a regular time of solitude and silence. If you only read one book on spiritual growth and formation this year, you can’t go wrong with this one. Essential read.
The Everyday Patriot: How to be a Great American Now, by Tom Morris
This short, interesting, and sorely needed book couldn’t come at a more opportune time. As people on the political extremes try to drag the country the way they want it to go, ripping it in two as they fight, this book focuses on the best of what we have in common as Americans. In a time where we need to know and live out what it means to be a patriot, in the best sense of that term, this book gives both inspiration and hope that we can make our nation better, not only for itself, but for the rest of the world. Great read.
Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World - and How to Repair It All, Lisa Sharon Harper
I had the good fortune(!) of meeting and talking some with the author at a conference in March. This book is heart-wrenching, eye-opening, and ultimately hopeful. I’m a white male, grew up in suburbia, and went through decades of education without knowing much about the history of Black people in the United States. This book tells a lot of that story, and showed me how much more I have yet to learn. Highly recommended.
Thanks for the recommendations. Happy Anniversary! Happy to hear you had a nice trip.