Bathe in Beauty

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“We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” - C.S. Lewis

I came upon this C.S. Lewis quote last year and have been thinking about it recently. Our longing for beauty is not just a longing to witness something beautiful, but a desire to actually participate actively, fully, with it. Perhaps in doing so we become, ourselves, beautiful.

What a wonderful image for what it means to behold beauty. To behold is to participate in, to grasp, to display, to mingle with. As we immerse ourselves in it's glory we unite with beauty itself. 

As a theatre artist and writer, I desire to craft beautiful work. To tell stories with quality artistic execution. Beginning with my childhood love of the ocean, ornate books, and wildflowers, I have always been drawn to beauty, especially in nature. Through my time at Fox, I have seen the impact of taking time to recieve beauty on my own spiritual well being and the quality of my artistry. 

Being an artist takes creative energy. Constraints of time and resources can cause us to sink into hurridness. Stress. Rushing. We so easily slip into an obsession of a task or creative project, burning out our soul as we pour and pour and pour ourselves out on a false alter. 

But when we make space to recieve beauty-- to go for a walk, swim in the sea, pick flowers, see a concert, spend some time viewing a painting or a play-- we fill our creative wells with new energy and inspiration. We reorient our hearts to remember the God who is Beauty itself and who created all things beautiful. We behold God's glory and it infuses our work and our souls.

Go enjoy something beautiful, friends. If you want to create beauty, make space to recieve it.
Sincerely,
Sophi

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