Photos on the Run // Something Beautiful

I'm lucky to have a friend who lives forty-five minutes away from my house.  And not just a "oh hi, I know you" kind of friend, but a friend that I like enough to visit semi frequently, resulting in semi-frequent semi-long car rides by myself.  I love it, partly because forty-five minutes is the perfect length for a solo, vocals-only mini concert, and partly because part of the drive involves twisty roads with lakes and scenery around them.  I love me some twisty roads with lakes and scenery. 

Last Friday, I was making that drive and was in the middle of a really fantastic rendition of Rascall Flatts's "While You Loved Me" when I drove past something that made me turn the car around.  It's called: the sky was by the lake and it was so, so pretty.  So me and my very low-quality camera phone went to have a look.  

I promise that it was 34084 times more gorgeous in person. Jealous?  

It happened again on Sunday while I was running: I saw pretty things, and I had to stop and take pictures of them.  (The argument could be made that I just wanted an excuse to stop running.  I'll let you be the judge of that.) 

(There are about 30 other variations on the baby leaf / sun pictures, if you're interested.  Angles are so important.)  

As I finished my photo shoot with the leaves, I had deep, blog-worthy thoughts.  Why am I so fixated with pretty things, to the point that I can't resist parking on the side of the road or bringing my camera for a run with me?  I know that I like taking pictures, especially since I have this place to share them, but I think it's more than that.  Isn't searching for beauty kind of an all-humans thing, not just a me thing?  For years and years, cave painters and gardeners and sculptors and fashion designers have passionately worked to hone their skills in order tried to create the best beauty that they could.  In fact, artists are known for being poor; in other words, for giving up a chance to make money and live in a conventionally comfortable way in exchange for the change to create something really beautiful.  I'd even venture to guess that most people, in some way, have that same craving.  Why are we like that? 

Throughout the Bible, God and the things that He does are described in terms of their perfection and quality - their beauty.  Here, take a look. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 // He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end

Genesis 2:8 // Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it.God made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. 

Psalm 104:1-3 // Praise the Lord, my soul.  Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

Is it possible that our search for beautiful things comes from a longing for God?  Maybe, we stand in awe of a sunset or spend hours redecorating because those things, in a very small way, let us experience a version of what our creator is like.  Maybe, just maybe, he made us that way on purpose, so that we'd be able to connect with him.  

I don't know about you, but I really like the idea that God created me to enjoy beautiful things just so that he could love me by showing me sky reflecting on the water and sun shining on leaves.  I think that's pretty cool. 

http://recklessinyourlove.blogspot.com/2015/04

cheers!

Allie

P.S. There's fun stuff going on here todat for Treat Yo Self Thursday! 

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