Beautiful Design

The ocean, a starry night, sunrises, and sunsets are breath-taking. Little girls playing dress up, my Kaleo group, and my friends are stunning. A soon-to-be mom, a grandmother with her grandchildren, and a sister holding her new brother for the first time are radiating.

As I think about the exquisite design of life that I'm surrounded by, I'm just humbled by our Creator.

Many times this summer, I've questioned what a non-believer could possible think while standing before the ocean? It's amazing! It's possible the water is the same water that unreached tribal people fish in, the same water Jesus may have walked on, the same water my ancestors sailed to America on, and the same water that laps at my feet each time I go to the beach.

to you Lord i want all praise to be directed, to you my life I dedicate. no man, no need for approval, or earthly desire will keep me from serving you! Simply put... it's beautiful. But the beauty of the ocean does not even compare to the most beautiful thing that we have...the cross.

The cross's beauty is captivating.

In the book, "The Gospel According to Starbucks" by Leonard Sweet, it reads "Why is the cross beautiful, but not pretty? Not because it's a vertical torture chamber, but because it tells the whole truth: the story of a God who loved us so much that God would go to well-curves extremes to show us that love. The cross is beautiful because it reveals love, the substance that bonds beauty, truth, and goodness together."

This passage completely caught me off guard. We would never consider a medieval or modern day torture chamber beautiful. But it's because the cross signifies more than the death of an innocent man it is stunning, breath-taking, radiating, glorious, alluring, and most beautiful of all.

We are commanded to radiate this beauty...

to bear the maker's mark,
to exude the creator's signature.

You are a chosen people, a holy nation,

a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God

that you may declare praises to Him who called

you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

~1 Peter 2:9

As humans when we see beauty, we are drawn to it. In the book, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," Joshua Harris sets up a scenario of how a fashion designer and model relationship can correlate with our relationship with God.

Think of a model walking down a runway as the media and 'experts' whoa and ahh over the clothes. These commentators don't give credit to the model for the clothes, but their praises are directed towards the designer. The same should be true in our relationship with God. As people look at the our lives, they shouldn't give praises to us for our good works or witness that we live. When people see our lives as being different from the worlds they should be looking for the designer behind it.

Be so beautiful people ask,

"who is that Designer?"