On Beholding and Becoming
A few years ago, I was caught up in a friend’s project, as she identified beauty around her. Beauty that others might not see. Beauty in what is considered “not beautiful” – things like our grey hair, things we try to ignore, or cover-up.
The reality is, we’re surrounded by beauty – miraculous beauty – every day, but life moves fast (even more so, the older I get) and my sight seems to get more blurred by the speed of it. It’s too easy to miss what I’m actually seeing.
My daughter notices it much more so. She’s a noticer of detail and has been since she was a baby. Perhaps it’s because she’s closer to the ground? But her noticing, helps me notice. Helps me notice a ladybug; with its perfect spots. Notice a grasshopper; with its crazy legs. Notice a hot-air balloon. Notice the sunset. Notice the sunrise. And she reminds me that God made those things.Like my friend, she’s choosing to notice beauty. Real beauty. In the middle of the mundane.
I’m realizing that part of the reason I’m not noticing beauty is because, with the busy-ness, it’s easy to worship the wrong things. To pay more attention to my job, my relationships, my craft projects, my home – than to direct my eyes to the One who can transform me into a more beauty-filled person, right in the middle of my life, in the middle of all those good things. Things that make me look at the gift, but not the Giver.
And I’m learning to behold the right things, bit by bit, so that I become more like the one who made me. It’s not a religious thing, but a relationship thing. The God who created beauty allows me to connect with Him through it. Such a mystery.It’s what Ruth Chou Simons calls, “the art of everyday worship.” In this season, I’m picking this up as a practice. I was gifted a copy of Beholding and Becoming and it soothed and inspired my creative heart. It made me want to pick up my watercolours again and it made me look forward to quiet moments to read and soak in the art of this gorgeous book. Friend – the artwork is stunning. Page after page – more than 200 of them – of art interlaced with encouragement to behold the glory of the Lord all around us and in His words.
And here’s the thing: I’m reminded with each page that we become more beautiful the more we behold Him. Less frantic; more alive. Reminded to not worship the art but to worship the Master Artist.It’s challenged me to stop and soak things in. To be conscious of where I’m directing my eyes. To wonder: do I even notice what I see? Am I seeing the One who created all things? And it’s made me more peace-full in the mornings. The funny thing is that my daughter, the noticer, noticed this book on my nightstand and asks to read it with me. She loves when there’s a song in the accompanying journal because we can sing together. We get to behold and become – together. What a gift.
Book Giveaway!
Beholding and Becoming
Since it’s my birthday week I get to gift one of you, my lovely blog subscribers, with your own copies (Woohoo!).All you have to do is comment below about where you’re seeing beauty today to be entered to win a copy of Beholding and Becoming (thank you, Harvest House Publishers!). One winner will be chosen randomly at noon ET on Monday, October 21st, 2019 and posted here.(And if you’re like me and wanting to get your Christmas shopping done before December 1st, this is a HUGE gift recommendation… such a stunning book and journal!).Let’s accept Ruth’s invitation: to be transformed, one everyday moment at a time.GIVEAWAY CLOSED. The winner of this contest was Tracey W.