It’s hard not to lose heart when we have to face so many terrible things in this life everyday. Suddenly and without warning we’re confronted once again with loss, or injury, or the news of tragedy striking our community or someone we love. And yet, despite all the terrible things that happen in this life, beauty is the deeper truth. And it’s the reality of this truth that allows us to keep showing up with courage throughout our life and relationships.
To be sure, we’re prone to play it safe and cower in fear when all we see is a dangerous and unpredictable world. Our self-protection kicks in and we try to control life in hopes to eliminate our vulnerabilities.
But we can’t do enough to eliminate all risks and we’re stuck merely in survival mode when we try – not free to love and live fully because we’ve encased our hearts in a shell of isolation and numbness.
The wise choice is to remember the basic goodness and beauty embedded in God’s creation. This is not to ignore the terrible things that happen. But it’s not to assume these things are the only or the final voice in our story either.
God created us to live to the full – courageously engaging in the world and not fearfully playing it safe. Of course, this is not to be foolish. And there is a certain wisdom to fear. But fear should never keep us from living boldly in faith and enjoying the profound beauty God has given us in this world.
We allow our hearts and the world to grow a bit darker when we fixate on the horrible things that take place. Remembering beauty gives us the courage to continue doing our part to bring more life, light, and love into the world.
This takes much effort when we’re bombarded daily with such awful realities. But God has been generous in giving us an abundance of beauty to enjoy everyday if we can simply have the eyes to see and receive.
In the words of Fredrick Buechner:
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”
Remember beauty and live boldly and free even in the face of the terrible realities of this life.
Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash
