Finding God's Beauty in a World That Often Feels Broken
The world can often feel like it's falling apart around us. Social media feeds flood with negative news, tragedies, and conflicts that can overwhelm our senses and darken our perspective. This constant exposure to the world's problems creates a type of tunnel vision, where we become so focused on what's wrong that we fail to see the beauty that surrounds us every day. It's like wearing blinders, similar to those placed on horses pulling carts to prevent them from being spooked by peripheral distractions. The difference is that our metaphorical blinders don't protect us—they limit our ability to experience wonder, awe, and ultimately, healing.
Standing in Gimmelwald, Switzerland, one cannot help but be struck by the overwhelming beauty of God's creation. The towering Alps, the pristine valleys, and the fresh mountain air create an atmosphere where the divine presence feels tangible. This little-known village, favored even by veteran travel writer Rick Steves for his personal vacations, offers a perfect vantage point to witness paragliders sailing through the air, cable cars traversing the valley, and the magnificent landscape stretching as far as the eye can see. These moments of natural splendor aren't merely pleasant experiences—they are spiritual encounters that remind us of something greater than ourselves and our immediate concerns.
The healing journey often begins with removing these self-imposed blinders and allowing ourselves to experience beauty again. For those visiting Healing Hubs or seeking spiritual comfort while facing life's challenges, this reconnection with beauty can be transformative. When we open ourselves to the majesty of creation, whether it's found in magnificent mountains or simple human connections like a conversation with a train engineer on his way to work, we begin to sense the divine in unexpected places. This expanded vision doesn't deny the world's suffering but places it within a larger context of God's ongoing work of creation and restoration.
There's something profoundly healing about stepping out of our narrow focus and embracing a wider perspective. St. Anselm of Canterbury described God as "that which no greater can be conceived," reminding us that even our most magnificent thoughts about God fall short of the divine reality. When we counsel those who are broken or dying, sharing visions of beauty and goodness can provide comfort and hope. As illustrated in the story of the elderly dying woman who asked for a description of heaven, our human capacity to imagine beauty is but a glimpse of what God has prepared. The tears that rolled down her cheeks at the description of a peaceful lake where her late husband might be fishing speak to how beauty touches something profound within the human spirit.
Prayer becomes especially powerful when offered from a place of beauty. Lifting up those recovering from illness, those facing conflict zones, hungry children, and a world groaning for peace takes on new significance when prayed from the heights of God's magnificent creation. The splendor of the world around us doesn't diminish the reality of suffering but instead offers hope that the God who created such beauty is still at work healing and restoring all things. As the scripture from 1 Chronicles reminds us: "Greatness, power, splendor, glory and majesty are yours, Lord, because everything in heaven and on earth is yours."
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