The Way of Beauty

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul exhorts them to fill their minds with beauty: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (4:8). Jesus also said somewhere that man shall not live by bread alone. We need beauty.

Our souls need beauty. And it ought to be clear that beauty is much more than external aesthetic proportions pleasing to the senses.

When Wayde van Niekerk won Olympic gold in the fastest time ever over 400m, his mother said this “beautiful amazing emotion” come over her and stayed with her.

We may access beautiful emotions in so many different ways – it could be a beautiful poem that touches the heart, or a work of art, or an act of kindness or bravery, scenic nature, or a game of tennis (or soccer/rugby!) etc.

In a world where we get swamped with negativity and violence, it is crucial for us to tip the scale towards beauty – for ourselves and those around us.

Paul started his, still valid, bit of advice in Phil 4:4 by calling us to “rejoice in the Lord always”.

I believe this is so because God is the ultimate beauty by which our “souls” may be truly fed and satisfied. Just do it!

Strauss de Jager, NG Kerk