Beauty

I think God must enjoy looking at beautiful things. And hearing beautiful things.
I mean, if you've ever sat on a beach looking out over miles of water, or up at a mountain... Or heard the waves crash or a bird sing... How could He have created it if He didn't love beauty?

I think God created us to love beauty. I think He created us to love beauty so that we would want to create our own. Beauty in all its many forms. I think the longing in us to create beauty is, at the core, a hunger for God. We love beauty because He loves beauty.

Music is beauty. It's one of those things that I do when I'm in a good mood. I swear, my fingers move faster and my left hand shifts in tune better and my right hand balances the weight of my bow better when I'm happy. And that just makes me happier.

Music is one of those thing I go to when I'm in a bad mood. Sometimes lyrics are woven so artfully with the melody that it is the most breathtakingly beautiful thing in the world and it feels like a hug. Sometimes lyrics aren't even needed and the notes explain themselves. Sometimes a simple cheery ukulele song lasting no longer than 33 seconds can work wonders on a bad day.

(This post was originally going to go from "beauty" to "music" into "worship"... But maybe it won't.)

Music is genius. Like a complex secret language.

Recently I went to Wintergrass, a bluegrass festival down in Seattle. It was incredible. Watching the performers (and there were a LOT of them!) you could just tell they all absolutely loved what they were doing.

I saw this interview of some people who were there, and talking about one bands they said, "everyone in the audience *got it*."

I loved that. "Everyone *got it*." Because, sometimes, people don't get it. Sometimes I don't get it.

Sometimes, I want to take something that stirs something up in me and shove it at other people and just be like, "DOESN'T THIS MOVE YOU THE WAY IT MOVES ME?!" Wordless tunes, songs with words that you can't understand... Songs with beautiful lyrics.

Some people might think I'm crazy. But some people would "get it" - get the beauty I see in a mandolin/banjo duet. (seriously? Yes. Beauty.)

Or in a violin solo recorded with less than amazing technology - that I have to hold my breath through. Because I honestly can't breath. Or in music that is more poetry than anything else.

I'm attracted to it because it's beautiful. Or maybe I'm attracted to it because God loves it, too.

I just bought some new artwork for my room - painted by one of the most passionate artists I have ever met. (Eric Samuel Timm) I bought it because I think it's beautiful. But I also bought it because you can see the longing for beauty and the hunger for God in every brush stroke. I love that.