When darkness and evil abound our attention often becomes so arrested by pain and suffering that we miss the presence of beauty. But while we must endure much heartache and grief in this life, there’s still beauty.
It’s not that we don’t want to experience more beauty. And certainly our soul craves it.
But all to often we allow beauty to be drowned out by the magnitude of anguish and despair we consume.
While pain and suffering demand our attention, beauty does not. Beauty will not force its way into our lives.
We must open ourselves to it and respond to its invitation.
Beauty overflows in nature and art, in the enjoyment of a good meal and sexual delights. There’s beauty in the smile of a friend and the uninhibited joy of a child.
And what a beautiful sight to witness the growth and transformation of the human spirit – to see someone come alive and radiate God’s divine glory.
In these, and countless other ways, beauty speaks and is available in our daily lives. But we must open to it and allow it to feed and heal our souls.
This is not to sugarcoat hard realities. But it is a holy defiance in refusing to let darkness and tragedy have the loudest voice in our lives.
And this is in part how we resist evil – refusing to let it steal, kill, or destroy the beauty God has given us.
We accept hard days and that some seasons are particularly dark. But we absolutely refuse to give up seeking, celebrating, and sharing the beauty that is available.
With all due reverence, fully address the pain and suffering before you. And remember, there’s still beauty. Embrace it and let it comfort, heal, and inspire.
Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash
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