Sabbath Beauty

And God saw that it was good.

I don’t understand. I live with several very creative people. And they all can do it. They take an idea. Something that’s inside them. And they see it. But the rest of us can’t. And then somehow, using their minds and their hands, they take that idea, that something-inside-of-them, and they begin to make things.

It doesn’t make any sense. You don’t just pick up a pencil, or load a brush, and then create something where nothing was before. You don’t do that. Well, certainly at least, I don’t do that. But every time they do something, I mean, this something-out-of-nothing-thing, it is beautiful. And it leaves me wondering. And pondering. And a little bit grateful.

And God saw that it was good.

It could be paint applied to a canvas. Or an arrangement of flowers on a table. Or even fashioning wood with a miter saw, some screws and then a splash of stain. It’s all the same to me. It is impossible and beautiful, at the same time.

They take their something-out-of-nothing ideas and they give them life. All of a sudden, I see depth and color where I didn’t see it before. I see contrast and flow, texture and movement. It’s like everyone else, well mostly me, is living in a world of grey while they live in a world full of color and curiosity.    

And God saw that it was good.

But it’s not just that something comes alive. The truth is, when the creative ones create, something comes alive in me. All of a sudden, I behold the beauty of what was created. I pause. I take in. I wonder. I delight.

Beauty has a way of doing that. When someone puts their hand to forming something, and it’s shared, it becomes a gift. The receiver can’t help but be grateful. For they now share in the creation. They experience its life.  

And God saw that it was good.

So, what is it? I mean, what is it about the beauty of created things that makes us pause? Is it the act of creation that leaves us wondering how did they do that? Or the sharing of the gift that leaves us grateful, you mean, you would share this with me?

Or is it something else.

Is it possible that when the artist begins to paint, and the carpenter begins to fashion, that there is something more going on? That maybe they reflect another beauty. Another Story. That what they give us reflects the Gift of the Creator.

When the writer of Genesis 1 tells the Creation Story, he tells it with a kind of rhythm. After each day there is this pause. A reflection. And then a statement.

And God saw that it was good.

But then on the sixth day, at the end of all the creating, there’s a change in the rhythm. The writer says, “And God saw.” What did he see? He saw all that he had made. And this time He says,  

And it was very good.  

And then on the seventh day God rested.

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Beauty has a way of doing that.

It not only makes us ponder. And wonder. And delight. It points us to the Creator. The One who gives us the gift. The One who declared it good.

So, here’s to the artists and artisans, the woodworkers and painters.

Here’s to the potters and builders, the dancers and songwriters.

Here’s to the creators and designers, the ones who share their gifts. Gifts of beauty and wonder. Gifts of joy and delight.

And here’s to the Sabbath Day. The day when we join in with the Heavenly Rest, and are reminded that all beauty is truly a gift from the Creator himself.

And so on this day, let us rest.

And ponder. And wonder.

And give thanks.