Extravagant Beauty

May 16, 2012

Extravagant Beauty


"You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish in you." ~ Song of Songs 4:7


A picture of a peacock caught my eye this morning and I just picked up my pencils and card-stock paper that I keep at my desk and began to sketch. I love peacock feathers... so beautiful. As I drew out his plumes... wanting to only hint at the beauty and not define it too tightly, I began to think about what the peacock means metaphorically. So after I finished the sketch, I did a search for quotes about peacocks and across the board the references were about arrogance and haughtiness. I thought this was so sad. How sardonic we are. The peacock is only being exactly who God created him to be. He puts on no strut that God didn't give him. We have a God that loves extravagance and extraordinary beauty and the display of His God-beauty in His creation.


So often we as Christians, in our false humility, want to pretend that beauty is only found in lowly things and that extravagant beauty is somehow superficial or wrong. How would a peacock look to you if he mangled his beautiful plumes in the mud to cover his beauty. Would he be righteous then? Of course, he should display the glorious design God gave him. You know, that display of beauty is a little glimpse of God - of His Beauty. How dare we devalue it.


How has God made you beautiful? Are you displaying it? Do you recognize and celebrate the beauty around you - in others around you?
What do your plumes look like?