Our souls are often depleted with the daily demands and stresses of life. And we need regular doses of beauty to restore, refresh, and renew our weary souls. But much more than a casual luxury we can get around to whenever we have the time, we must regularly commit ourselves to the ministry of beauty.
On the one hand, this is actively putting ourselves in the path of beauty. Perhaps we take a moment to watch the sunset or listen to the birds sing. Or maybe this is through the beauty of a good book, film, or time with friends. Whatever it looks like, we’re exposing ourselves to beauty, lingering, and allowing it to minister to our souls.
At other times, we minister by doing our part to create more beauty in the world. For instance, this might be the care we bring to landscaping our yard or redecorating our house and office. We might also write, draw, sing, or otherwise offer our creative talents to others, or support the efforts of others when such artistic expressions are not our gift. However it might look, we’re intentionally doing our part to cultivate a more beautiful world.
Whether we’re receiving beauty or creating it, we need beauty to thrive. And this is all the truer when we’re facing hard days personally or within our broader communities.
In the end, our souls are quickly famished without beauty, and the world a bit darker. The ministry of beauty is faithfully caring for our own souls, as we also fulfill our duty to bring more life and goodness into the world around us.
Photo by Benjamin Combs on Unsplash
