Beholding Beauty

I heard someone say recently that there is a logical answer to the question, "If a trees falls in the forest, and no one hears it, does it make a sound?" The commentator said that in order for sound to be sound, there must be a sound wave combined with a receiver (i.e., a recorder, an antenna, our ear, etc.). So the answer would be that the tree doesn't make a sound unless there is a receiver to complete the process.

Can beauty be beautiful if no one witnesses it? In my 40+ years of being around adult males in the military and the workplace, I can probably tell you that when you mention the word "beautiful" to a man, you will likely trigger a thought that involves women. Immature males will tend to regard the opposite sex as ugly, homely, cute, attractive, gorgeous or beautiful. Women will ascribe beauty to babies, puppies or heart-rending, happy-ending love stories. Artists of all kinds will see the beauty in their music or paintings or sculpture.

Beautiful is described as that which is pleasing to one or more of the senses, at a level that would give the subject a top rating. But while senses are always involved, real beauty goes well beyond surface aknowledgement. Even one of the characters in the Country Bear Jamboree at Disney World sings, "My woman ain't purty, but she don't swear none ...," recognizing that there are endearing qualities besides physical beauty.

A beautiful man or woman, for example, may behave so badly that the outer beauty fades and begins to not look so noteworthy. Inversely, someone who is not so "good looking" may be so overflowing with graciousness and a sweet spirit that, over time, the senses begin to see a real beauty, thus reconditioning them toward a better standard of judgment.

We get our "beholding" from God, our Father, who is always beautiful inside and out. He created us beautiful and packaged us individually (warts and all) so that we may learn to seek out and appreciate the beauty that HE sees in us. We are surrounded by physical beauty in land and sky and ocean, for which we give thanks daily. But nothing surpasses the beauty that is found in the human spirit. He gives us the creative spirit --- and the mandate --- to see beauty where none is apparent, and to encourage and bring that beauty to the surface, that we might walk in his ways as brilliant bouquets of life.
STEVE