As there are many different forms of spirituality and belief systems, so there are many different ideas of what spiritual beauty really means. If beauty is defined as the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense or deep satisfaction to the mind, then I would submit that, from a Christian point of view, spiritual beauty encompasses the entire journey which one takes with God. This includes the personal relationship, the trials and the triumphs of everyday life, as well as the community and fellowship that is experienced when two or more Christians are gathered. It is like a play; we watch with great anticipation because we do not know how the end will turn out. Once it is finished we can sit back and be satisfied for we know how it turned out and we understand the events in the middle which we did not understand right away.
The deepest satisfaction found in all things spiritual is having a personal relationship with the creator. There is nothing more beautiful than knowing who God is and the love that he has for us. When we talk regularly to God and begin to form that relationship with him, daily life and our ultimate purpose become clearer. We worry less about what is to come and can find satisfaction in the knowledge that God is our friend in all circumstances. It is not a tedious task to have are relationship with God but rather a meaningful bond which, when given enough time, turns into something very beautiful.
Though life may look ugly and dismal at times we must remember to think of the bigger picture which we belong to. God says that when we are weak, then he is strong. This means that God shows his glory through us not when we are always at our best, but when it is evident that we cannot get by on our own strength. It is then when Gods beauty shines through most brightly. If we look at different stories through out history we see that God has greater things planned than we could ever imagine. We cannot always see how things make sense right away, however if we are patient we will remember that God has got both the bad and good under control and will make a masterpiece out of it all.
Personal triumphs give us a very intense feeling of satisfaction. When we overcome temptations or struggles with help from peers or from God. When God convicts us to help the hurting person next to us, or tells us to just listen to a friend in need something beautiful has started. When we are pushed out of our comfort zone to speak against something that is wrong when we know it means ridicule, the fact we can rest in Gods strength and approval is spiritual beauty. When we finally bow our knee and submit everything to our father, there is spiritual beauty.
The most powerful event to watch is when a group of believers come together and listen to what God has to say. Where two or three are gathered, there God is. When believers get together and pray, love and serve together, great things happen when God is the center focus. Great satisfaction can be derived from doing the work of God with fellow believers. Lives are changed when people reach out and love the surrounding community. Spiritual beauty is realised when the purpose of God is wilfully carried out by believers because God has been glorified, and we have been enriched as well as the non-believers. Something beautiful has come out of obedience.
So many things can be attributed to spiritual beauty. Living a spiritually satisfying life is one of the most beautiful things a person can do. We often look at the elderly and the wise in the church and look at them in awe because they have lived beautiful lives. They have been through the ups and downs, they have worked very hard to know, love and serve God as individuals and as well as with fellow believers and they are an example of what spiritual beauty looks like in whole. We who have many years ahead of us can only see a part of the play we are in. We might not be able to see spiritual beauty in its entirety in our own lives, however if we look to others we can have a taste of what is to come if we persevere. Spiritual beauty will unfold itself in each of our walks in different ways.
