Beauty Takes Time

There are times in our lives when we have the opportunity to behold something truly beautiful:  A sunset, a masterpiece painting, a moving piece of music, a mathematical formula, or one person helping another. Such things catch our eye immediately, but it takes time to appreciate the beauty on display.   The full beauty is in the details, the nuances, the way the elements work together which is why we take time to observe, think, process and experience.  We linger in front of beauty that we might be encouraged [blessed] in some small way.

Earlier this week, I took an overdue opportunity for an extended time of prayer and reflection and in so doing encountered more of the beauty of the Lord that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. A portion of Psalm 27:4 comes to mind: “One thing I ask…to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” To behold more of the Lord’s beauty takes time, and as we do so, we are becoming more like him, and that takes time too.

-Rev. John Gorin