feeding the soul

{found via pinterest from kamphora}

the other night i finally had a chance to finish culture care by makoto fujimura. it is one of the best books i've read in a while mostly because it is deeply true.

he makes the case for beauty, and how a lack of attention paid to beauty can slowly starve our souls. this is not his only point, nor is it even the most important, but it's the starting place. it's the jumping off point. it's the point i feel i constantly need to justify.

i cannot tell you how much this book resonated with me. life is not just about utility. if life were just about utility the earth would not be the incredible masterpiece it is. God is a master creator - the only master creator - and he gave us more than we could ever ask or imagine in terms of beauty.

{found via pinterest from two thirds}

people have discovered new parts of this world for centuries and centuries; parts untouched since the dawn of time, and yet how many of them are just incredible? and not only incredible - how many of them are incredibly beautiful?

God made the earth beautiful because he has a heart for beauty. he didn't make it that way because he had to - he didn't have to make the earth, period. but he did. and he made it absolutely stunning.

{found via pinterest from the gifts of life}

we are created in the image of God. beauty is part of our hearts too.

i often feel like i have to defend this need for beauty. i need to defend the pieces of beauty i incorporate into my life and my world. i often feel like i need to defend "dressing up" for things, or doing my nails, or picking out jewelry. but i do these things mostly just for myself. {sometimes it's for other people - if i'm being really honest - since it affects how they see me.}

i want my house to look nice because i spend an awful lot of time here, and i want it to be beautiful. i want to surround myself with things that feed my soul.

this isn't to say that i need a house as big as the one i have, nor is it to say that everything in my house needs to be expensive, nor is it to say that i should accrue any debt in order to surround myself with lovely things. it is to say that we need to find ways to incorporate beauty into our lives. it is to say that we need to find ways - even if they're small and free - to feed our souls, not just slog through life.

{found via pinterest from gumption & grace}

i'm not arguing that nothing can be utilitarian, but everything shouldn't be.

how often do we miss the small breath-taking moments because we don't stop to look? and sadly - how often do we push people away, or tell them their perspective is wrong without stopping to understand their perspective? how often do we push people away, and put up a barrier because they don't conform to our ideals?

i believe God is the God of the universe. i believe that he is the creator God. i believe we are each created in his image, and that is what gives us value at the very heart of it. i believe that all truth - real, actual truth - is God's truth. and i believe God made things beautiful on purpose. i believe he created us to know him, and he created us to appreciate and reflect beauty.

{found via pinterest from swandive}

in the book of nahum {1:3b} we are told that the clouds are the dust of {the Lord's} feet. think about that the next time you watch a sunrise or a sunset.

think about all of the different climates and the seven wonders of the world. think about the vistas and the far-flung destinations you dream about. God created them out of nothing. he spoke them into being. and he made us to reflect his image.

obviously we don't do this perfectly. often we don't even do it well. we get too caught up in the gods we make for ourselves. we get too caught up in what we end up serving instead of whom we should be serving.

{found via pinterest from the shiny squirrel}

when we don't care for our souls we miss a huge component of what God has for us. we simply miss it. and we are worse off because we don't take time to unplug and recharge our souls. we don't take time to appreciate the master creator Artist, or the artists around us. we don't take time to appreciate the work of the soul, and for the soul.

God is not simply a God of utility. he is a God of beauty.

{go read this book. no, seriously.}

xoxo