Day 4 - The Author of Beauty

"People look at the good things around them and still fail to see the living God. They have studied the things he made, 

but they have not recognized the one who made them.

 Instead, they suppose that the gods who rule the world are fire or wind or storm or the circling stars or rushing water or the heavenly bodies.  

People were so delighted with the beauty of these things 

that they thought they must be gods, 

but they should have realized that these things have a master 

and that he is much greater than all of them, 

for he is the author of beauty, and he created them. 

Since people are amazed at the power of these things, and how they behave, they ought to learn from them that their maker is far more powerful.

 When we realize how vast and beautiful the creation is, 

we are learning about the Creator at the same time."

(Wisdom 13:1-5)

God is the author of beauty. Beauty exists to reveal God. Everything that is beautiful in creation points us to the creator who is more beautiful. If we know God, we might feel drawn to thank Him for a beautiful sunset. The beauty of creation has a way of drawing us to goodness, to God. This scripture warns that we should be careful not to make the creation a god, but allow creation to help us to understand the Creator. 

Have we not all been guilty of this at one time or another? We look at the beauty of the created human body, and we make it our god. We strive endlessly to make our bodies perfect creations and we uphold other women who we perceive to be perfect as idols. We feel that we constantly have to be creating or recreating ourselves to keep up with the current beauty trends. In the midst of our focus on beauty and becoming beauty, we forget one important truth; God is the Creator, we are not. We do not need to create ourselves. He created us, and he is the author of beauty. 

The beauty of creation reveals the Creator. God made humans as the high point of creation. He created man and woman in His image. Beauty then for us, is the image of God dwelling within us. God, who is also the author of life, has given us life and created us beautiful by fashioning us in His image. When we embrace God's life within us, we are truly beautiful. 

The hand of God created each woman unique and unrepeatable. If beauty teaches us about the author of beauty, then the unique beauty of every woman is meant to teach us something different about God. When we embrace His life and live as His daughters, we allow our beauty to point other's to Him. As we live virtue in our own unique way, we reveal a part of who God is to the world in a way that no one else can. Our beauty is an incredible gift that can draw us and others to the heart of God. 

If we make our physical beauty an idol for ourselves or others, the world will miss out on the a knowing God through our unique expression of true beauty. Our beauty begins in our souls. Our souls are God's most intimate creation, wherein He imprinted His own image. The body is the home for the soul, thus it is through our bodies that the image of God is reflected. Our bodies are not a god, we need to focus our attention on the interior. We must first seek to live in communion with God, allowing His life to dwell within us. As we live in grace and grow in virtue we will experience an outpouring of His life and beauty. Then, our beauty will shine forth from our souls and draw others to God as it is intended to do. 

May we find freedom in the truth that we do not need to create ourselves to be beautiful. We are perfectly created by the author of beauty. The journey to live in His grace and grow in virtue is ongoing and not always easy, but the world is waiting to see the beauty of God, and we each have a unique part to play. 

Today's Challenge: 

Focus on revealing God to the world by the beauty of your soul. Smile, give, love, share, and be joyful. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, Author of Life, Author of Beauty, come and dwell in my soul. Pour your grace into my heart and fill me with your presence. I want to live as your daughter and the beautiful creation that you made me to be. Thank you for fashioning me, molding me, and designing me to be beautiful. Thank you for giving me a desire for beauty that leads me to you. Teach me what it means to be truly beautiful. May my beauty always turn my eyes and the eyes of others towards you. Amen.