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Finding God's Beauty by David McDermott
How I find "beauty in God's world," the contemplative life and
reflections of Julian's revelation "All shall be well", for me are all
intertwined in my life.
I find beauty in God's world within and without. I find beauty in the
union of my will with God's, seeking to know him through the gift of the Holy Spirit, seeking the transformation of my weak self will to the beauty of his will, which is only light, love and life and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Outwardly to find beauty in God's world I look at the beauty of his
creation in all the seasons. As it is winter I shall write about how I
found beauty in a heavy snowfall we have just had.
When Debra asked me to write about "how I find beauty in God's world," and "how I live a contemplative life in our busy world," and to reflect on Julian's revelation "All shall be well," I reflected that all those are intertwined in my life.
I am writing this just before Christmas, we had a very heavy snowfall a couple of nights ago. I awoke this morning very early and started to think right away what to write. I live alone, my house is very quiet, the silence in the morning is only broken by the melodic tick and chime of my Grandmother's clock. I don't put any radio or television on in the morning as I have my breakfast.
As I work as a writer from home I don't have to rush out as I did when I used to start early in a bank. I reflect on the day ahead and spend time in silent prayer. This morning when I opened the living room curtains I looked out onto the snow scene and started to reflect on the beauty of the snow and my contemplative life in this winter season.
The snow was so beautiful, the purest white, glistening with the sunshine, a reflection in parts like diamonds. It covered the dark roofs, the gardens, almost everything. I thought it is like a beautiful blanket covering God's creation, all that might have looked dark and drab before was now pure and white, untouched by footsteps or car tyres. It made me think of the quote in the bible, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Isaiah 1, 18. It made me reflect on Christmas, the Lord Jesus coming into the world to suffer and die to transform the darkness and drabness of our sin to the purity of our redemption reflected in the beauty of the white snow that I was gazing at.
As part of my contemplative life I love to go out for walks and on my bi-cycle for fresh air, exercise and to find the outward beauty reflected in God's creation throughout every season. I find inspiration in a country park that a joins an ancient canal that passes through from Leeds to Liverpool. I am also not far from the sea and from there I can look over to the Welsh mountains.
As I step away from the road and the noise of traffic I am met by the beauty of the countryside and the sounds of nature. Even in the darkest days of winter I find beauty in God's creation. As the snow covers the ground I watch the birds huddled in the reeds and listen to them chattering in the hedgerow, a magnificent pair of swans fly over and land so elegantly on the canal, a pheasant with its beautiful plumage darts into the hedgerows to hide, there are still berries for the birds to eat and the ducks and the swans put their necks down into the water to feed.
It made me reflect on how the Lord provides for all his creation even in the darkest days of winter and how Julian said "All shall be well." The birds and the animals find it difficult in the winter season. But God makes some of them hibernate, some birds instinctively fly away to warmer climates. Squirrels use what they have stored away for winter. They pass through that difficult season to the Spring.
Julian said for us "All shall be well." We go through dark days of trial and tribulation, we fall down into sin but the Lord keeps our soul safe throughout it all, and when we look back we reflect how it was a difficult time but the Lord gives us the strength to get through it.
Footnotes
When Debra asked me to write about "how I find beauty in God's world," and "how I live a contemplative life in our busy world," and to reflect on Julian's revelation "All shall be well," I reflected that all those are intertwined in my life.
I am writing this just before Christmas, we had a very heavy snowfall a couple of nights ago. I awoke this morning very early and started to think right away what to write. I live alone, my house is very quiet, the silence in the morning is only broken by the melodic tick and chime of my Grandmother's clock. I don't put any radio or television on in the morning as I have my breakfast.
As I work as a writer from home I don't have to rush out as I did when I used to start early in a bank. I reflect on the day ahead and spend time in silent prayer. This morning when I opened the living room curtains I looked out onto the snow scene and started to reflect on the beauty of the snow and my contemplative life in this winter season.
The snow was so beautiful, the purest white, glistening with the sunshine, a reflection in parts like diamonds. It covered the dark roofs, the gardens, almost everything. I thought it is like a beautiful blanket covering God's creation, all that might have looked dark and drab before was now pure and white, untouched by footsteps or car tyres. It made me think of the quote in the bible, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Isaiah 1, 18. It made me reflect on Christmas, the Lord Jesus coming into the world to suffer and die to transform the darkness and drabness of our sin to the purity of our redemption reflected in the beauty of the white snow that I was gazing at.
As part of my contemplative life I love to go out for walks and on my bi-cycle for fresh air, exercise and to find the outward beauty reflected in God's creation throughout every season. I find inspiration in a country park that a joins an ancient canal that passes through from Leeds to Liverpool. I am also not far from the sea and from there I can look over to the Welsh mountains.
As I step away from the road and the noise of traffic I am met by the beauty of the countryside and the sounds of nature. Even in the darkest days of winter I find beauty in God's creation. As the snow covers the ground I watch the birds huddled in the reeds and listen to them chattering in the hedgerow, a magnificent pair of swans fly over and land so elegantly on the canal, a pheasant with its beautiful plumage darts into the hedgerows to hide, there are still berries for the birds to eat and the ducks and the swans put their necks down into the water to feed.
It made me reflect on how the Lord provides for all his creation even in the darkest days of winter and how Julian said "All shall be well." The birds and the animals find it difficult in the winter season. But God makes some of them hibernate, some birds instinctively fly away to warmer climates. Squirrels use what they have stored away for winter. They pass through that difficult season to the Spring.
Julian said for us "All shall be well." We go through dark days of trial and tribulation, we fall down into sin but the Lord keeps our soul safe throughout it all, and when we look back we reflect how it was a difficult time but the Lord gives us the strength to get through it.
Footnotes
A quote from "Prayers from Revelations of Divine Love." Taken from chapters 27 and 30.-All shall be Well
"Lord Jesus, you have shown that mainly it is in our iniquity that prevents us in our desire to perceive you.
Lord, you have taught that iniquity is inescapable, but that all will be agreeable, and every aspect will be agreeable.
Lord, it is your benevolent desire that we take comfort from your Holy Passion through all our trials and tribulations. Lord, through your affectionate devotion for all that are going to be redeemed you promptly and gently encourage us. Lord, you show that iniquity is the creator of all this anguish, but all will be agreeable, and every aspect will be agreeable.
When we are enfolded with god in heaven, he shall truly discern why he permitted iniquity to occur.
When you shall discern all to us and we shall be in our eternal bliss with you."
Chapter 30.
Lord, as we are all united in your perception with the saintly company of heaven may we yearn and aspire to your direction in our temporal lives." Amen.
Thinking of beauty again if we do aspire to the Lord's direction through his will in our temporal lives, then we can have the beauty of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our transformed nature.
As it is Christmas I would like to think of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, joy. The Lord Jesus came into the world as the babe of Bethlehem, joy to the world. After his death and resurrection we have God's atonement for our sins. But he also left the Holy Spirit as a comforter to his companions, part of that is the joy of the Holy Spirit.
If you look at a child at Christmas you see joy in their delight at every moment of Christmas. Their joy is a reflection of the joy that we all can know through the Holy Spirit at Christmas and throughout the year, when our will is in union with the Lord's.
"Lord Jesus, you have shown that mainly it is in our iniquity that prevents us in our desire to perceive you.
Lord, you have taught that iniquity is inescapable, but that all will be agreeable, and every aspect will be agreeable.
Lord, it is your benevolent desire that we take comfort from your Holy Passion through all our trials and tribulations. Lord, through your affectionate devotion for all that are going to be redeemed you promptly and gently encourage us. Lord, you show that iniquity is the creator of all this anguish, but all will be agreeable, and every aspect will be agreeable.
When we are enfolded with god in heaven, he shall truly discern why he permitted iniquity to occur.
When you shall discern all to us and we shall be in our eternal bliss with you."
Chapter 30.
Lord, as we are all united in your perception with the saintly company of heaven may we yearn and aspire to your direction in our temporal lives." Amen.
Thinking of beauty again if we do aspire to the Lord's direction through his will in our temporal lives, then we can have the beauty of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our transformed nature.
As it is Christmas I would like to think of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, joy. The Lord Jesus came into the world as the babe of Bethlehem, joy to the world. After his death and resurrection we have God's atonement for our sins. But he also left the Holy Spirit as a comforter to his companions, part of that is the joy of the Holy Spirit.
If you look at a child at Christmas you see joy in their delight at every moment of Christmas. Their joy is a reflection of the joy that we all can know through the Holy Spirit at Christmas and throughout the year, when our will is in union with the Lord's.
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