Christine's Corner: Beauty: It is all around us!
As we begin the new year, many of us choose to start a new habit or practice as the calendar changes. This year, why not try a focus on beauty? To recognize beautiful things requires a willingness to slow down and take a look around. See where you find beauty this year, be it in nature or elsewhere. Here are some spiritual practices that focus on beauty.
Noticing: Take a picture per day (either a physical picture, or a picture in your mind) of something beautiful. Maybe it’s something you see in the world around you that is “classically” beautiful (like a flower, or a sunset.) Maybe you’ll notice something beautiful that you’ve overlooked time and again.
Creating: How can you add beauty to the world? Do you paint, or draw, or sing? Think about creating something of beauty, just because you can.
Appreciating: When you see, hear, taste, touch, or smell something beautiful, take a moment to say “Thank you” to God for it.
Journaling: This year, make a beauty journal. In it, you can record all of the things you notice, create, or appreciate that are beautiful. Keep the journal for a whole year, and use it for reflection.
Memory Verse: God has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11
Beauty Links:
(these ideas comes from Traci Smith in her Treasure Box Tuesdays blog post)