It’s clear God has made a beautiful world for us to enjoy. And this includes human beauty. We are God’s masterpiece – stunning works of art to celebrate.
It’s no surprise then that the thief of goodness stands at the door ready to steal, kill, and destroy our open appreciation of the human form.
And, to be sure, many of us have taken the bait – degrading beauty only to indulge in our own sinful appetites rather than allowing it to open our hearts in profound gratitude toward God.
But the lingering power of this temptation reminds us there’s an original glory here to be restored. And the work of redemption includes redeeming an unapologetic gaze on our created form.
This allows us to be moved, affected, and transformed by what we see. This is what good art does.
Human beauty reveals grace and power, vulnerability and strength, tenderness and vitality. In short, we witness the dignity of our humanity through the beauty of our embodied selves.
And regularly contemplating on this keeps us in touch with our shared humanity.
We’re more prone to a dehumanizing gaze when we deny our fascination and don’t allow ourselves to be consciously affected by beauty.
In the end, we may never fully understand why we’re drawn to certain images of human beauty. But art appreciation doesn’t require a dissertation of logical explanation.
Sometimes, like good music, its value comes from the fruit it produces.
And human beauty offers us a mysterious comfort and peace, hope, inspiration, and joy. It’s hard to explain, and yet it is.
And we do well to simply thank God for allowing such beauty to exist in his world.
Let God’s masterpieces be pleasing to the eye and nourishing to your soul.
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