Finding Comfort by Creating Beauty

Creating beauty might seem like a tiny response to the roaring noise in our world today. But perhaps it’s one that can bring a few moments of peace into the midst of all the chaos. Because it reminds us of who we are. And who we belong to.

How does creating beauty connect us to our Creator?

We are made in the image of God whose first act was to create. So is it any wonder that we have all been designed with a desire to create something? Creativity makes life more beautiful on good days, and more bearable on difficult days.

Adult coloring books are all the rage right now. Maybe you have one and you’ve rediscovered the joy of coloring inside the lines to bring life and vibrancy to a black and white line drawing. Everyone from CNN to leading scientific journals is reporting on the stress relieving effect these books are having on us.

Or maybe you know the simple joy of placing sunflowers in a silver pail with some baby’s breath as my daughter and I recently did when we decorated for an engagement party for my son and his fiancé.

Now before you start thinking I’ve lost my mind and am declaring that we can solve the world’s problems with coloring books and sunflowers, let me assure you that is not at all what I’m saying.

Yes, we must engage in the world’s very real problems. We must participate in the dialogue and take action to find solutions that will lead to a healthy and peaceful future. But we must also guard that part of ourselves that beautifully reflects a God who so loved the world that He sent His only Son to save us. That’s what creating beauty accomplishes. It connects us to our Creator and reflects His love to others.

Creating beauty helps us give the people in our lives a soft place to land. And who doesn’t need that in a world that sometimes feels like it’s gone mad?

Creating beauty helps us feel whole, even in a fractured world.

Perhaps you’re a writer, a singer, or a painter. Or you love to take photographs or play an instrument. All lovely expressions of beauty and creativity. But creativity also comes in the form of a beautiful room or table setting. Perhaps it’s in the way you put an outfit together or hand write thank you notes. It could even be something as simple as placing fresh cut flowers in a vase.

So won’t you join me? Let’s slow down for a few moments today to create a beautiful little spot in our corners of the world. Go buy some flowers and put them on the dining room table. Play some music that moves you to dance or to tears. Sit down and write a letter to a friend or loved one on that pretty stationery sitting in the bottom drawer of your desk. Prepare a delicious meal for someone you love. Watch your children or grandchildren sleeping.

And remember that we have been created in the image of our Creator. To see and hear and taste the beauty He has shown us. And to embody and enliven the beauty within us so the hurting world around us might find encouragement and hope.

It’s in our bones to create as He created. He is the giver of life. It’s the enemy who wants to steal and kill and destroy. Don’t let the enemy win even an inch of ground in your heart where the desire to create beauty and life resides.

How will you create something beautiful today?
How will you create a soft place to land for yourself and others?