Of Wonder, and Beauty, and Rainy Days

As a writer, there is something about rainy days that gives me the urge to write… cuddled beneath a blanket with a hot cup of coffee listening to the rain pelt down outside. You may think, from reading that line, that we are in the last days of autumn and winter is fast approaching, but in fact, it is the last days of spring here in Melbourne and the rains are pelting down after a couple of sweltering days of around 36 degrees c.

To add to the enchantment of the moment, The Lord of the Rings soundtrack plays on my speaker in the front room taking me into the world of imagination. And I am weary. Weary from another week of work, thankful that the weekend has arrived. Thankful for the time I now have to rest and let my body recharge.

For indeed, I am blessed and have much to be grateful for. Thankful I am for my wee flat in the Melbourne suburbs that gives me a place to call home. Thankful for a roof over my head so that inside I am safe and warm and dry. Thankful for the ability to arrange words in such a way as to make them interesting to read. Thankful for the beauty that is around me – in the rain, the music, the ability to create beauty with words, the fairy lights that sparkle along my bed, the beauty of love and human connection.

Beauty feeds my soul and inspires my imagination. It enchants the world and makes all around me seem magical and full of wonder. The human ability to create beauty even where there is none is one of the unique aspects of being human and reflects our Creator, the God of Beauty, who created us beautiful to reflect Him.

Beauty is at the soul of our humanity and for centuries has been the soul of our civilisation. Creating things of beauty – a painting, a building, a garden, a work of literature, a piece of music – for centuries has characterised us in the West. When one goes to a country like Italy or France, one is surrounded by beauty. When the industrial age arrived, we began to lose our sense of beauty and human creations became industrial – grey, concrete, soul-less. And in the process of modernising, we began to lose our soul – the essence of what it means to be human.

Let us slow down our busy lives and notice the beauty that is all around us. Let us breathe it in in a spirit of wonder and awe and thank the Lord for gifting it to us.