The Beauty of the Christ



One thing I have asked of the LORD,
that I will seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
- Psalm 27:4

For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.    -Wisdom 13:5

Think about the hard and cruel times in your life and how dry, desolate, and ugly everything seemed. There was no joy to be had, only pain and despair. Remember the way in which the suffering and loneliness ate away at your heart and mind and nearly drove you crazy, if it didn't. Such horrible times seemed to claw their scars into your heart. Among other constructive reasons, times like these give us a glimpse into what an eternity in Hell may be like, so we may be much less inclined to sin. Do we really want an eternity of such pain without any relief and of an infinite magnitude?

Think now of the one most beautiful experience you have ever had. Picture it in your mind and remember what that encounter with such beauty did to you. Think of the joy and the happiness, then think of how such beauty first took away your breath and left you speechless. Think about how you were left simply in awe and wanted nothing more than to remain where you were and continue in that indescribable beauty. Think about moments of less powerful encounters with beauty. While not as immediate, those moments, too, drew you in and left you wanting more. Beauty always draws us in and leaves us only wanting to be drawn in more. The more we are drawn in, the more we see and the more we are left in awe. Then our hearts have to rise in love to someone, usually God and those whom we love. Such incredible moments are only a small, veiled glimpse into what an eternity in Heaven holds for us. After all, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Such moments, also, give us a very vague idea of the Gift given to us on Christmas Day and what He left to save us.

Are you ready?

Happy Advent!





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