Death is unpleasant and ugly. And it comes with a natural aversion as we were created for life. But Beauty, on the other hand, testifies of life itself and we’re naturally drawn to it. All the same, it seems we must come to terms with death to fully appreciate beauty. And we’re prone to make an idol of false beauty when we don’t.
To be sure, many have come to fear death and try to avoid thinking about it altogether. And the desperate need to avoid this painful reality leads many to overeating, drinking too much, pornography, and the like. They’re longing for the beauty that comforts, nurtures, and fills them with life, but in their anxiety to run from death, they’ve become blind and settled for mere counterfeits.
Of course, beauty helps us to come to terms with death. There’s a reason we give each other flowers when a loved one dies. But true beauty comes alongside the reality of death without denying it. And false beauty tries to give us life while ignoring death. This is no longer how life works.
Christ was raised from the dead – removing the sting of death and no longer allowing its ugliness to have the final word in our story. And it’s the fullness of this reality that true beauty now allows us to appreciate – created in original glory, alongside us through pain and suffering of this life, and reminding us of the restoration of all good things still to come.
We need this beauty and should drink deeply of it every chance we get. But we don’t do so to forget, ignore, or otherwise avoid the reality of death and suffering we must still endure. Our addiction to false beauty might be the result of our inability to tolerate the unpleasant and ugly realities of life.
In the end, false beauty keeps you blind and always running from the realities of death. True beauty comforts and inspires by reminding you of life after death.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
