"...a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Well as you can see, I already decided to take a break from 'Christians and Beauty' and went back to writing about one of my personal favorite subjects: suffering. I, like the Apostle Paul, have a thorn in my flesh. It probably isn't nearly as bad as his was, but it is enough to make me think that I suffer a great deal. I know that God is sovereign. I know He is in control. I know He works all things out for the good of those who love Him. Yes, I know all of this, and I am glad that all of this is true, but let's face it: I'm only a weak human, and sometimes, humans just get sick of suffering. We want to cry out, "I've suffered long enough, Lord! I've already learned any lessons that can possibly come out of this! Please, please, remove this dreadful thorn from my flesh; I can't deal with it any longer!" I must admit, whenever I feel burdened with my struggles, I really do not feel like looking on the bright side. The only thing in the world I want to do is wallow in my self pity and rant on and on about the unfairness of my thorn. But I know this is not what would please the Lord. This is what Satan would want me to do. Therefore I am going to force myself to take a look at suffering from a godlier perspective.
First of all, I want to say that none of us are alone in our struggles. I know that I personally am guilty of feeling that I am the only one who ever shed a tear. I like to look at the world with disdain, sighing "Nobody can possibly know what I suffer! No one has ever had to bear the load that I do." This is just plain selfish thinking. Not only that, but it contradicts the truth of the Word. Let us look at 1 Peter 5:9: "Resist [the devil], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." There we have it. All Christians have to deal with thorns of some kind, and no, this isn't because God is mean and likes to see us cry. It is because He is our Father and sometimes the best way to teach us what He wishes us to learn is to make us suffer. In Paul's case, he knew God had given him his thorn, whatever it may have been, to keep him from becoming conceited. We see that it taught him to rely more and more on God's strength rather than his own.
"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:6.
When we bear this verse in mind, we can actually look at our struggles as a comfort. They remind us of God's love for us, and of His active hand in our lives. He isn't a Father who lets us get away with whatever we want. He truly wants us to learn to be righteous, even if we have to learn it the hard way. As much as I hate to admit it sometimes, the lessons I have learned from the thorn in my flesh have definitely been worth the pain. I won't go into every little thing I've learned, but overall, my suffering has caused me to draw closer to God than I ever have before. I don't know how hard I can stress that He is a VERY present help in times of trouble. He listens to my prayers over and over again and cares for me like none other. He reminds me of His presence and His mercy. He fills me with the peace that passes understanding. Only through the process of dealing with my "thorn" have I finally begun to think of God as a friend, and now that I look back on it, that has been worth every sigh and tear. I suppose, as with every relationship, a relationship with God is strongest when it has had to deal with hard times as well as good. That, reader, is one answer to our question of, "Why do the righteous suffer?!" We suffer because it draws us closer to God.
Many Christians, myself included, have such a wrong attitude towards suffering. We actually think that God owes us relief, when in reality, He does not owe us one little thing. Consider what He has already done for us in allowing His perfect Son to die so that we vile and perverted creatures could be spared the eternal flames of Hell that we so justly deserve. Was that good enough for me? I have to answer "no." Now that my eternal life is all taken care of, I want God to give me the earthly life I want. When His plans differ from mine, I feel sorry for myself and complain about the unfairness of it all. This is such sinful, foolish thinking. After all God has done for me, how can I presume to ask for more? How can I be angry at Him for making me deal with this small, temporary thorn in my flesh when He has already spared me from something much, much worse? The very least I can do is to serve Him willingly in whatever He has ordained for me. No, His will for my life is not always what I personally would choose, but God is sovereign. He is the Potter and I am the clay. He has every right to do what He will do to me. He does not need to ask my permission to make me suffer. He is not even required to tell me why He does what He does in my life. I have no right to complain about God's providence. He is so, so much greater and wiser than me, but when I argue to Him, it is as if I am elevating my own "wisdom" above His. I think that I sometimes forget just who I am dealing with. Therefore, like Job, "I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Christians and Beauty
All humans experience beauty. Whether it was in a gorgeous sunset, a sweeping opera or a handsome face, we have all been struck by beauty at one time or another. We are surrounded by it. It seems to me, though, that we don't always recognize and appreciate beauty when we see it. We complain about the cold, without noticing how lovely the snow is. We quickly dismiss paintings or musical compositions as "boring" without giving them the time and consideration they require of us. We like things to be easy and convenient in life, but we are not always concerned that things be beautiful.
Lately I have been wondering alot about how all of this should be viewed from a Christian perspective. Is beauty, and appreciation of beauty, important to Christians? I admit that it may seem irrelevent to the Christian life. The Bible never tells us to "go out and appreciate beauty." The Bible never labels the ignorance of beauty as a sin. In fact, the Bible does not really tell us anything about how Christians should respond to beauty at all. So then, does this mean beauty does not matter at all to God? I disagree. There are many things in this world that the Bible never specifically mentions, but I think that Biblical principles can and should be applied to all aspects of life, even the aspects that the Bible does not mention. There is no part of our thinking that our Christian worldview should not have some kind of influence on. Beauty is such a huge aspect of everyone's life that I can't help but wonder what the correct Christian attitude towards it should be.
What do we know about beauty? Like everything else in life, it was created by God. It was one of the many gifts that He gave to us, and I think that it is not only an awesome reflection of His power and genius, but of His kindness and love. God didn't have to give us such a pretty world to live in. He didn't have to give us the vastness of the sleek, black night sky adorneded with stars and a moon. He didn't have to give us the changing of seasons- the soft pinks and lush greens of the spring, or the glittering snow and glassy blue ice of the winter. He could have made a drab, unchanging world of only one color, but He did not. He gave us so, so many things to enjoy: the singing of birds, the wide open meadows and the stately forests. These things are a reflection of the great, glorious Creator who made them. The whole Earth seems to cry out the fact that there is a God in Heaven who gave all of this beauty to us. Shouldn't Christians, of all people, be the ones to appreciate these gifts? Other people think that the complexities of the universe came into being by chance. They may notice the beauty of a stunning landscape, but it is really nothing to them but a pretty picture. To the Christian, however, the beauty of the created world is not just something pleasant to look at, but is a reminder of the all powerful, majestic Creator whom we love. Because God gave us such a good gift as beauty, I really do think His children should take the time to appreciate it and thank Him for it. Imagine that you spent time working on a card for your friend. You really didn't have to make the card all that special, because it wasn't the main gift. The main gift was the money inside. Nevertheless, you spent hours choosing the colors and cutting the paper to make the card perfect. Wouldn't you want your friend to appreciate the beauty of the card rather than tearing it open to get to the most important part- the money? I think it is similar with the beauty God gave us. It is not the main focus of our lives, nor should it be. It is just one aspect of the gift of life that He gave us, but it is a very wonderful aspect that we should not take for granted.
Just as Christians should appreciate the beauty of the created world, they should recognize the gifts of creativity that God gives to others. While all of us are creative to some extent, there are some people in this world to whom God has given remarkable artistic abilities. In the world's eyes, these abilities are reasons to admire and worship the artist. The Christian, however, looks at amazing works of art and knows that all of this talent is a gift from God. The abilities in humans to create beauty is just a manifestation of the fact that we are made in the image of the Creator. Christians should be able to look at, (or listen to) a great work of art and be able to recognize the incredible talent needed to make it. When walking through an art museum, we shouldn't rush through with no consideration whatsoever. We shouldn't think, "These paintings are too boring, too dark, too old, etc." Even if they are not the sort of paintings we would prefer to hang in our own house, I think that we should look deeply at them, and consider the details and complexities of the artwork. We should realize what an incredible amount of God-given talent was needed to create it. We should appreciate it for the reflection that it is of God's own creativity.
It is the same with music, architecture, sculpture, and other forms of art. We should enjoy the gifts of beauty that God gave to us. He could have made our lives dull and void of art, but instead He decided to give pleasing sights and sounds for the enjoyment of all people. Christians should recognize the beauty in life for what it is- a gift from God- and should learn to appreciate it.
This brings me to some very difficult questions, ones that will take a great deal of reasearch before I feel able to write about them: Do we have to appreciate ALL art? Are there such things as good and bad art? And what is it exactly that defines art and beauty? Are there absolutes to them, or is it all relative- "in the eye of the beholder"- as it were? Hopefully after much study I will be able to give some sort of answer.
~Susan
Lately I have been wondering alot about how all of this should be viewed from a Christian perspective. Is beauty, and appreciation of beauty, important to Christians? I admit that it may seem irrelevent to the Christian life. The Bible never tells us to "go out and appreciate beauty." The Bible never labels the ignorance of beauty as a sin. In fact, the Bible does not really tell us anything about how Christians should respond to beauty at all. So then, does this mean beauty does not matter at all to God? I disagree. There are many things in this world that the Bible never specifically mentions, but I think that Biblical principles can and should be applied to all aspects of life, even the aspects that the Bible does not mention. There is no part of our thinking that our Christian worldview should not have some kind of influence on. Beauty is such a huge aspect of everyone's life that I can't help but wonder what the correct Christian attitude towards it should be.
What do we know about beauty? Like everything else in life, it was created by God. It was one of the many gifts that He gave to us, and I think that it is not only an awesome reflection of His power and genius, but of His kindness and love. God didn't have to give us such a pretty world to live in. He didn't have to give us the vastness of the sleek, black night sky adorneded with stars and a moon. He didn't have to give us the changing of seasons- the soft pinks and lush greens of the spring, or the glittering snow and glassy blue ice of the winter. He could have made a drab, unchanging world of only one color, but He did not. He gave us so, so many things to enjoy: the singing of birds, the wide open meadows and the stately forests. These things are a reflection of the great, glorious Creator who made them. The whole Earth seems to cry out the fact that there is a God in Heaven who gave all of this beauty to us. Shouldn't Christians, of all people, be the ones to appreciate these gifts? Other people think that the complexities of the universe came into being by chance. They may notice the beauty of a stunning landscape, but it is really nothing to them but a pretty picture. To the Christian, however, the beauty of the created world is not just something pleasant to look at, but is a reminder of the all powerful, majestic Creator whom we love. Because God gave us such a good gift as beauty, I really do think His children should take the time to appreciate it and thank Him for it. Imagine that you spent time working on a card for your friend. You really didn't have to make the card all that special, because it wasn't the main gift. The main gift was the money inside. Nevertheless, you spent hours choosing the colors and cutting the paper to make the card perfect. Wouldn't you want your friend to appreciate the beauty of the card rather than tearing it open to get to the most important part- the money? I think it is similar with the beauty God gave us. It is not the main focus of our lives, nor should it be. It is just one aspect of the gift of life that He gave us, but it is a very wonderful aspect that we should not take for granted.
Just as Christians should appreciate the beauty of the created world, they should recognize the gifts of creativity that God gives to others. While all of us are creative to some extent, there are some people in this world to whom God has given remarkable artistic abilities. In the world's eyes, these abilities are reasons to admire and worship the artist. The Christian, however, looks at amazing works of art and knows that all of this talent is a gift from God. The abilities in humans to create beauty is just a manifestation of the fact that we are made in the image of the Creator. Christians should be able to look at, (or listen to) a great work of art and be able to recognize the incredible talent needed to make it. When walking through an art museum, we shouldn't rush through with no consideration whatsoever. We shouldn't think, "These paintings are too boring, too dark, too old, etc." Even if they are not the sort of paintings we would prefer to hang in our own house, I think that we should look deeply at them, and consider the details and complexities of the artwork. We should realize what an incredible amount of God-given talent was needed to create it. We should appreciate it for the reflection that it is of God's own creativity.
It is the same with music, architecture, sculpture, and other forms of art. We should enjoy the gifts of beauty that God gave to us. He could have made our lives dull and void of art, but instead He decided to give pleasing sights and sounds for the enjoyment of all people. Christians should recognize the beauty in life for what it is- a gift from God- and should learn to appreciate it.
This brings me to some very difficult questions, ones that will take a great deal of reasearch before I feel able to write about them: Do we have to appreciate ALL art? Are there such things as good and bad art? And what is it exactly that defines art and beauty? Are there absolutes to them, or is it all relative- "in the eye of the beholder"- as it were? Hopefully after much study I will be able to give some sort of answer.
~Susan
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