Well put! The idea that there is a beauty in things apart from their utility is a strong component of Makoto Fujimura's philosophy of the role of the artist, outlined in his books "Culture Care" and "Art + Faith." It's interesting that this "gratuitous" view of beauty is similar to what Oscar Wilde said about how "all art is quite useless." Wilde was right, but his idea lacked the Christian imperative to emulate the Creator which is present in Fujimura's view.
It's probably been a common thread in culture—not only tied to our modern world full of screens—that people forget to slow down and enjoy things. One of my favorite things about birds specifically is that they can be heard more often than they can be seen, thus encouraging a sense of curiosity that is hard to immediately satiate: a sense of wonder. The option of being able to quickly "google it" has caused many people to lose that ability to wonder, to speculate, to be unsatisfiedly curious, which is, I'd argue, a necessary component of our intellectual life.
Regarding the stars: although my urban environment certainly doesn't allow me to see the full panoply of stars that can be seen out in the country I am still able to pick out all the major constellations with ease. I'm regularly able to see Orion's nebula even in midtown Omaha, which I'm quite proud of! Your essay from a few years back called "What did we lose when we lost the stars" inspired me to write a poem cycle about the stars and constellations, which I hope to have done by the end of this year; much thanks for your inspiring words!
I enjoyed this so much. And also realised how even in reading this I moved from delight to productivity and then had to bring myself back again. What a challenge to stay in delight. But it is how I want to live more. How I think we all want to.
Thank you for your support of "gratuitous" beautify, the best way of seeing the world. In particular, thank you for drawing our attention to the reversal of order in the description of the two trees. (Genesis)
As someone who has more recently taken time to enjoy and delight in the stars and space, these were truly beautiful words to read. Thank you for sharing your art of words. May God bless you💗
My son delights in rainbows and it seems his ecstasy is greater and greater with each new one. After a long day the raucous celebrations at seeing another rainbow sometimes work on my nerves, but then I think what it would be like to have kids that have no sense of wonder and are nonplussed about God’s creation and I am happy to participate in his celebration.
I love all of this. "Beauty must once again lead the way." Amen! One night my son grabbed a bunch of blankets and made popcorn. I assumed he was going to ask for a movie and was delighted when he instead told me to meet him on the front steps to look for constellations. I realized that the occasional walks around the block we take right before bedtime had made him think of the starry sky as something worth beholding. Little glimmer like this make me to keep trying to pass on a sense of wonder and beauty. In a recent post Leah from Blessed Endurance wrote about how parents are meant to model worship, not police it. When they see us lift our faces to the starry host and recognize our Creator's fingerprints in its breadth and height and intricate design, our children will learn to do likewise. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But in the slow work of formation. I was thinking this week of how impatient I was as a kid when my grandma made us sing every verse of a hymn before we ate. Now those hymns are precious to me. I can hear her harmonizing with me across the years. Thank you for writing these truths with so much hope.
Thanks for the article. Your attention to Eve's inversion of noticing (utility, then beauty) is interesting and fertile. It would be easy to pass over that switch as simply a rhythmic variation in the original text--though, of course, it performs that function too.
For me personally, I know I miss a great deal (and humans have their built-in perceptual filters that automatically "gate" our awareness), but I'm also frequently stopped by beauty--and also by stunning ugliness.
It's the bland and unremarkable that we pass by most often--because, well, the unremarkable is almost inevitably unnoticed.
So beautiful. This leaves me wondering how to do this with the things around me daily: what does it mean to delight in the beauty of my children first each day before deciding what I need from them (to brush their teeth, pick up after themselves, etc.), and how would this change how a parent them throughout the day? Would I be less bothered by my cats crying for dinner three hours earlier if I took time to delight in her? Would I have inspiration for that project I want to do if I took time to delight in the (fabric, yarn, paint color) I plan on using first? I pray I can put this question into practice a bit. Thank you!
This is a beautiful and honest reflection. It doesn’t just describe what we see in the world; it helps explain why joy often feels distant, even when life is full. Scripture has been quietly pointing to this from the beginning. In creation, God did not first declare usefulness. He declared goodness. “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31 NKJV). That order matters. We were created to receive before we produce, to delight before we use.
But as you’ve so thoughtfully pointed out, something has shifted, not just in behavior, but in how we see. The pattern in Genesis 3 shows that clearly: what was once received with gratitude became something to grasp, evaluate, and use. “The tree was good for food… pleasant to the eyes… desirable to make one wise.” (Genesis 3:6 NKJV). This is more than disobedience. It is a reordering of vision. And that same pattern quietly continues today. Attention is constantly pulled, redirected, and shaped. What should be received as a gift is often approached as something to measure, optimize, or compete over. The result is not just busyness; it is a gradual loss of wonder.
Scripture speaks directly into this. Not by condemning the world, but by reorienting how we see it. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). “One thing I have desired… that I may dwell… to behold the beauty of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4 NKJV). “Consider the lilies… observe the birds…” (Matthew 6:26–28 NKJV). These are not passive suggestions; they are invitations to recover a way of seeing that aligns with how we were created to live.
And perhaps this is where the conversation gently turns toward those we are raising and influencing (Our children and Grandchildren). Because Scripture does not call us to correct a generation, but to form one! Patiently, consistently, and truthfully. “You shall teach them diligently to your children… when you sit… walk… lie down… and rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7 NKJV)
Formation does not happen in moments of pressure, but in patterns of life. If joy has become something pursued rather than received, then one of the quiet callings before us is to model a different rhythm. One that can be seen, practiced, and quietly learned: To pause long enough to notice what God has already placed before us. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). To look up at the sky, at creation, at others, and not rush past what is there, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1 NKJV). To give thanks out loud, even in ordinary moments, so gratitude becomes visible. “In everything give thanks…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV)
To create space where not everything must be measured, improved, or compared. “Better is a little with righteousness…” (Proverbs 16:8 NKJV). Because what is seen consistently is what is ultimately learned. “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV). And Scripture reminds us that this kind of formation is not wasted, even when it unfolds slowly. “Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV)
This article points us to something deeply true: the issue is not only what we are doing, but how we are seeing. And the hope is just as real because Scripture shows that vision can be restored. Not by escaping the world, but by learning again to receive it as God intended,
with gratitude, with wonder, and with trust. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17 NKJV)
We were created to delight in what God has made, but when our vision is restored, we learn to receive it again.
Loved the “distillation” of the inversion described in Genesis 1-3. So much truth! No wonder “all creation groans!” I used to fly for a living, and my favorite time was at night…it was quiet and the view of the night sky…all the delight you described. Many times I would weep silently, all the while mesmerized by the vastness of the star-filled canopy. How could I fail to delight, even laugh with joy, when confronted with such a view? How could I come back to earth, and not be changed?
“Perhaps it is only by first delighting in a thing that we can then discern how to put it, not just to effective use, but to a use that can truly be called good.” Such a great quote! Thank you for sharing!
Well put! The idea that there is a beauty in things apart from their utility is a strong component of Makoto Fujimura's philosophy of the role of the artist, outlined in his books "Culture Care" and "Art + Faith." It's interesting that this "gratuitous" view of beauty is similar to what Oscar Wilde said about how "all art is quite useless." Wilde was right, but his idea lacked the Christian imperative to emulate the Creator which is present in Fujimura's view.
It's probably been a common thread in culture—not only tied to our modern world full of screens—that people forget to slow down and enjoy things. One of my favorite things about birds specifically is that they can be heard more often than they can be seen, thus encouraging a sense of curiosity that is hard to immediately satiate: a sense of wonder. The option of being able to quickly "google it" has caused many people to lose that ability to wonder, to speculate, to be unsatisfiedly curious, which is, I'd argue, a necessary component of our intellectual life.
Regarding the stars: although my urban environment certainly doesn't allow me to see the full panoply of stars that can be seen out in the country I am still able to pick out all the major constellations with ease. I'm regularly able to see Orion's nebula even in midtown Omaha, which I'm quite proud of! Your essay from a few years back called "What did we lose when we lost the stars" inspired me to write a poem cycle about the stars and constellations, which I hope to have done by the end of this year; much thanks for your inspiring words!
I enjoyed this so much. And also realised how even in reading this I moved from delight to productivity and then had to bring myself back again. What a challenge to stay in delight. But it is how I want to live more. How I think we all want to.
Thank you for your support of "gratuitous" beautify, the best way of seeing the world. In particular, thank you for drawing our attention to the reversal of order in the description of the two trees. (Genesis)
As someone who has more recently taken time to enjoy and delight in the stars and space, these were truly beautiful words to read. Thank you for sharing your art of words. May God bless you💗
My son delights in rainbows and it seems his ecstasy is greater and greater with each new one. After a long day the raucous celebrations at seeing another rainbow sometimes work on my nerves, but then I think what it would be like to have kids that have no sense of wonder and are nonplussed about God’s creation and I am happy to participate in his celebration.
I love all of this. "Beauty must once again lead the way." Amen! One night my son grabbed a bunch of blankets and made popcorn. I assumed he was going to ask for a movie and was delighted when he instead told me to meet him on the front steps to look for constellations. I realized that the occasional walks around the block we take right before bedtime had made him think of the starry sky as something worth beholding. Little glimmer like this make me to keep trying to pass on a sense of wonder and beauty. In a recent post Leah from Blessed Endurance wrote about how parents are meant to model worship, not police it. When they see us lift our faces to the starry host and recognize our Creator's fingerprints in its breadth and height and intricate design, our children will learn to do likewise. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But in the slow work of formation. I was thinking this week of how impatient I was as a kid when my grandma made us sing every verse of a hymn before we ate. Now those hymns are precious to me. I can hear her harmonizing with me across the years. Thank you for writing these truths with so much hope.
Thanks for the article. Your attention to Eve's inversion of noticing (utility, then beauty) is interesting and fertile. It would be easy to pass over that switch as simply a rhythmic variation in the original text--though, of course, it performs that function too.
For me personally, I know I miss a great deal (and humans have their built-in perceptual filters that automatically "gate" our awareness), but I'm also frequently stopped by beauty--and also by stunning ugliness.
It's the bland and unremarkable that we pass by most often--because, well, the unremarkable is almost inevitably unnoticed.
So beautiful. This leaves me wondering how to do this with the things around me daily: what does it mean to delight in the beauty of my children first each day before deciding what I need from them (to brush their teeth, pick up after themselves, etc.), and how would this change how a parent them throughout the day? Would I be less bothered by my cats crying for dinner three hours earlier if I took time to delight in her? Would I have inspiration for that project I want to do if I took time to delight in the (fabric, yarn, paint color) I plan on using first? I pray I can put this question into practice a bit. Thank you!
This is a beautiful and honest reflection. It doesn’t just describe what we see in the world; it helps explain why joy often feels distant, even when life is full. Scripture has been quietly pointing to this from the beginning. In creation, God did not first declare usefulness. He declared goodness. “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31 NKJV). That order matters. We were created to receive before we produce, to delight before we use.
But as you’ve so thoughtfully pointed out, something has shifted, not just in behavior, but in how we see. The pattern in Genesis 3 shows that clearly: what was once received with gratitude became something to grasp, evaluate, and use. “The tree was good for food… pleasant to the eyes… desirable to make one wise.” (Genesis 3:6 NKJV). This is more than disobedience. It is a reordering of vision. And that same pattern quietly continues today. Attention is constantly pulled, redirected, and shaped. What should be received as a gift is often approached as something to measure, optimize, or compete over. The result is not just busyness; it is a gradual loss of wonder.
Scripture speaks directly into this. Not by condemning the world, but by reorienting how we see it. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). “One thing I have desired… that I may dwell… to behold the beauty of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4 NKJV). “Consider the lilies… observe the birds…” (Matthew 6:26–28 NKJV). These are not passive suggestions; they are invitations to recover a way of seeing that aligns with how we were created to live.
And perhaps this is where the conversation gently turns toward those we are raising and influencing (Our children and Grandchildren). Because Scripture does not call us to correct a generation, but to form one! Patiently, consistently, and truthfully. “You shall teach them diligently to your children… when you sit… walk… lie down… and rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7 NKJV)
Formation does not happen in moments of pressure, but in patterns of life. If joy has become something pursued rather than received, then one of the quiet callings before us is to model a different rhythm. One that can be seen, practiced, and quietly learned: To pause long enough to notice what God has already placed before us. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). To look up at the sky, at creation, at others, and not rush past what is there, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1 NKJV). To give thanks out loud, even in ordinary moments, so gratitude becomes visible. “In everything give thanks…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV)
To create space where not everything must be measured, improved, or compared. “Better is a little with righteousness…” (Proverbs 16:8 NKJV). Because what is seen consistently is what is ultimately learned. “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV). And Scripture reminds us that this kind of formation is not wasted, even when it unfolds slowly. “Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV)
This article points us to something deeply true: the issue is not only what we are doing, but how we are seeing. And the hope is just as real because Scripture shows that vision can be restored. Not by escaping the world, but by learning again to receive it as God intended,
with gratitude, with wonder, and with trust. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17 NKJV)
We were created to delight in what God has made, but when our vision is restored, we learn to receive it again.
Loved the “distillation” of the inversion described in Genesis 1-3. So much truth! No wonder “all creation groans!” I used to fly for a living, and my favorite time was at night…it was quiet and the view of the night sky…all the delight you described. Many times I would weep silently, all the while mesmerized by the vastness of the star-filled canopy. How could I fail to delight, even laugh with joy, when confronted with such a view? How could I come back to earth, and not be changed?
“Perhaps it is only by first delighting in a thing that we can then discern how to put it, not just to effective use, but to a use that can truly be called good.” Such a great quote! Thank you for sharing!