Writings of a Beholder 🌿 5.17.24

Beauty Invites Me to Be Still & Know

“Maybe I have been living much too fast, too restlessly, too feverishly, forgetting to pay attention to what is happening here and now, right under my nose. Just as a whole world of beauty can be discovered in one flower, so the great grace of God can be tasted in one small moment. Just as no great travels are necessary to see the beauty of creation, so no great ecstasies are needed to discover the love of God. But you have to be still and wait so that you can realize that God is not in the earthquake, the storm, or the lightning, but in the gentle breeze with which he touches your back.”

— Henri Nouwen

The sun has just begun its descent, casting shadows on the sidewalk where my husband and I stand in front of a neighbor’s landscaping. The side of her home blooms shades of gold, sage, lilac, and blush this time of year, and it’s always one of my favorite markers of spring.

I almost missed it, almost forgot about the beauty unfolding right before me, my head full and body heavy from the day’s hurry. But the colors from the fully blooming flowers caught my eye and made me pause. My husband walked ahead, continuing his sentence, only to turn around and find me dazed.

Dazed and a little tired as my body responds to this patch of beauty in our neighborhood by finally relaxing into the present moment. I exhale, shoulders releasing, and just stare, not having words — not needing them — and realize that this is what my soul needs more of.

More pauses, more lingering, more noticing the way the sky opens up just before rain, the peonies blooming early just across the street, and the robin perched in her nest just outside our garage. All of these small, seemingly insignificant things hold whispers of heaven and I must admit that I all but miss it because of the to-do lists.

It was Dallas Willard who wisely said,

“Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life… There is nothing else.”

Beauty is its own kind of language that speaks to us in deep, healing ways if we let it — if we slow ourselves long enough to receive it, taking it into the very core of our being where Spirit and soul become one. Beauty is a practice that leads to inner stillness because in order to pay attention to it, we must pause and step out of the harried pace at which most of us live our lives.

Noticing beauty could be one way we compassionately heal those parts of ourselves that demand we rush and give too much.

And as I stand in front of a neighbor’s flower garden, I feel the touch of heaven gently caress those aching, hurried places in me that long for something sacred and eternal — a sort of homesickness that can only be explained as yearning for more of God Himself. In my hurry, I forget my need. But as I pause to pay attention to the beauty in front of me, the wounds of my fast pace catch up to me and I’m keenly aware of the God-sized hole in my soul.

I remember then the Scripture reading from that morning and the invitation to see beyond what’s right in front of me — to see right into eternity.

“We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison, because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, TPT

What if beauty, this pausing and lingering with what touches our souls deepest, is just one portal through which we catch holy glimpses of eternity?

What if heaven is closer than we think?

What if the kingdom of God can be seen inside a flower garden?

I take out my phone to remember, to capture, and take with me the gift of this moment, and as my husband and I continue our evening walk I’m reminded that beauty lives within most, if not all, things. It’s always available, and always willing to be received. It’s me who forgets to answer her call, to look up, see, and let glory soak through the mundane until everything around and in me is drenched in it.

Our evening walk becomes a sacred thing as these thoughts turn into truths that soothe my soul and I hear the Spirit whisper, “Be still and know.”

And it’s then that hits me, right there on our neighborhood sidewalk — beauty invites me to be still and know God’s right here.

Selah.

With you on the journey,

Celia

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Life Lately

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A Breath Prayer for Your Weekend

Inhale: Be still.

Exhale: And know.

(adapted from Psalm 46:10)

*If you’d like to learn more about the practice of breath prayer, download this complete digital guide to practicing breath prayer.

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Resources & Good Things to Pick Up

My mom is an ovarian cancer survivor who decided to create an encouraging planner for those walking through their cancer journey. It would also be a life-giving tool for caregivers and loved ones walking beside their cancer warrior. The ‘For Such a Time as This’ planner is officially available for purchase now here: Quiet Hope Co.

My Etsy shop, The Beholding Co., offers contemplative resources to help you slow down, seek still moments, and behold God’s presence with you in the everyday. Purchase some breath prayer cards, a Lectio Divina bookmark, and more.

Grab a copy of my Bible study, You Are Beloved: a 21-day study on how to root your identity in the love of God, over on Amazon. If you’d like a free 3-day sample of the study, reply to this email and I’ll send it right over!

My friend and licensed spiritual director, Kari Bartkus, offers an 8-week journaling program for those who want to process their grief and trauma with God within the safety of blank journal pages. I’ve completed the program myself and can say confidently that it was incredibly impactful and healing: Journal Gently

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An Invitation to Pause & Reflect

A regular practice of reflection helps us recognize what’s going on beneath the surface of our souls so we can name it in the Lord’s presence. Because as we learn to name what we feel, what we need, and what we long for, we’re also learning to discern the Spirit’s sweet, gentle voice within our hearts and lives.

Take a few moments today or this weekend to journal or contemplate with the Holy Spirit the following question(s) or prompt(s):

What form of beauty gives your soul breath? Art, nature, the people you love most?

Spend some time this weekend slowing down and soaking in the beauty all around you. As you do, notice how your soul responds.