There are times when the world around us can feel overwhelming…and ugly. Evil distracts us with temptations. Politics has become divisive, social media addictive, and culture wars beget hate and prejudice. It’s easy to grow indifferent, even callous, to the marvel of the world around us. And as often happens, when beauty becomes distorted in a fallen world that prefers to celebrate the vulgar, the shocking, and the frivolous, we lose our sense of awe in the wonders of God’s creation.

But sometimes, the wonders of nature serve as a remedy and a reminder of what is true and beautiful.

Recently, the skies of the U.S. glowed with an unexpected visual display.  Apparently, a rare and powerful geomagnetic storm allowed the Northern Lights to be seen farther south than usual.

This rare aurora declared to all that nature speaks in the language of wonder.  Or as one reporter wrote, “the night itself seemed to pray in light.”

I am reminded of the words of Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands.”  When the heavens decide to show off its wonder, it’s as if a kind of divine handwriting reminds us that the world is still full of mystery.  

The Aurora Borealis is a sermon without words.   One might call it a silent proclamation!

Beauty does that—every day.

I have watched the sun rise over the Atlantic, and I have surveyed the purple mountains majesty on Pike’s Peak.  I have been drawn into the small world of a rose and its majestic petals.  I have cried beholding the birth of my children.  I have stood in awe within the soaring medieval cathedrals of Europe. And, listening to the closing chorus of Handel’s Messiah, my soul has been lifted to the very throne of God’s grace.

Beauty is all around us if we have eyes to see and a willingness to welcome it.

I remember a trip to Batumi in 2005, on the west coast of the Republic of Georgia. There, in an art museum, I expected to quickly walk through this unremarkable exhibit and be on my way. Instead, I sat down, captivated by the paintings of an artist named Gia Bugatze. Enchanted by the scenes before me, I later discovered that Bugatze was an internationally recognized artist whose works adorn cathedrals and museums worldwide. Admiring his creative talent, I found it difficult to walk away.

Whether it’s nature revealing God’s glory or an artist showcasing the creative side of being made in God’s image, beauty with all its awesome wonder has a way of making me feel small before something magnificent. It is humbling, and yet, I find these moments healing and inspiring.

Some say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as if it is merely a personal preference, but true beauty points to something beyond the physical. C.S. Lewis believed that beauty was not an end in itself, but an ongoing witness to Christianity, evoking a profound longing that only God could fulfill. That which is truly beautiful, Lewis thought, draws our souls heavenward.

The Aurora Borealis declares it.

Artists capture it.

Roses reveal it.

Music revels in it.

Beauty is God’s calling card.

“It was when I was happiest that I longed most…The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all the beauty came from.” C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Eerdmans, 1956, 1975, pp. 74-75)