The deep secrets of our heart are exposed by the words of our mouth. And the same is true by the gaze of our eyes. But the point is not to stop speaking or looking to avoid sin. We grow in maturity by cultivating a heart of gratitude – learning simply to be thankful for the beauty God allows us to see in his world.
To be sure, when we’ve been discipled by porn we must first recognize and stop our adulterous gaze of others – to look away, limit our exposure, and repeatedly remind ourselves that this type of looking misses the mark of who God has called us to be.
All the same, we do not mature by simply avoiding the bad. We must also cultivate and actively pursue the good. Here, every time we’re captivated by beauty we practice turning this moment into an opportunity to praise and glorify God – thanking him for allowing such beauty to exist.
We’re not indulging beauty for our own sinful pleasures. Nor are we pretending that such embodied beauty doesn’t exist. We acknowledge it and allow it to form a heart of gratitude in us for God.
Of course, in time, we also learn to realize that the beauty we see in this life is just a small reflection of God’s eternal beauty. And we’re not just thankful for its presence, but it now serves as an icon and pathway back to God himself.
But our first step, once our sinful lusting has been put to death, is simply to learn to gaze with gratitude. As we remember to be thankful for every good and perfect gift God has blessed us with in this world, we can readily include the beautiful people he has graced us with as well.
Are you still avoiding beauty? Or have you learned to thank God for it?
Photo by Nairod Reyes
