Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

Ecclesiastes 3:11 say that God “has made everything beautiful in His time. . .” I believe! For me, one of the most beautiful places in the world is the woods. I llove the trees and rocks, the hills and valleys with clear running creeks tumbling along, and the occasional deer, or covey of quail bursting from the cover ahead. It seems to me that in deep woods one can escape the trauma of living in a city with all its attendant noise and confusion.

I spent some time recently in a tiny village with two public buildings (both Churches) and lots of trees and rocks. I took a long walk down an obviously un-traveled logging road and stopped by a little creek that is almost dry. I stumbled over some small rocks, and marveled at the incredible size of others. It was cool and quiet, and I lloved every minute of it.

Later I spent some time in one of the Churches. And it was there I was reminded of a few of the delightful beauties with which God blesses us. This little Church, plain and simple, with a variety of folks making up the congregation, singing old hymns and a new chorus or two with an old piano, plain, basic preaching, and the frequent dinner-on-the-grounds, harkens back to a more uncomplicated time. It was indeed a beautiful thing.

Our Churches in the cities have taken on the demanding task of working efficiently, creatively, with great innovation and expertise. In the process, we have lost the spontaneity of people moving along with no agenda except to encounter the Lord. It’s not that we are doing it wrong, it’s just that we are so organized that we are crushing the life out of the simplistic pleasure of friends gathering to share their lives. The unhurried, unadorned, down-to-earth ease of friends and family sharing faith has become a straightforward push to austerity.

I am wise enough to understand that those latter things are exactly what some are searching for. And indeed, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everything is beautiful, in His time, but I’ve seen a lot of beauty in the woods, and the people who worship there in effortless minimalism.