THE QUIET POWER OF BEAUTY

in the Striptease of my Soul...

Isaiah 61:3:  "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified..."

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He hath made everything beautiful in his time, also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end..."

Part of my writing journey here on Substack is a "strip tease". I laughed out loud when Holy Spirit gave me that phrase. He always knocks me off my perch with a nudge of humor...and I answered "WHAAAT????"  He replied that my journey is allowing the mercy and love of God to steadily remove the cynicism, the depression, the discouragement, the plaguing impediments, the curmudgeon, the one who gives up easily, the fixed position, the loser consciousness.  Yes, all that light stuff...ARGH, stripping it off, one by one, bit by bit.  Fun, fun, fun...NOT. This is such a formidable list, as I look back on my nearly 72 years of life.  Thanks, Holy Spirit...really...just what I need on this night of Oct. 31, 2024, as I continue my edits of this piece for publishing tomorrow night, and yet, He is correct, as always.  He acts profoundly as my Counselor and Comforter. Without His comforting and gentle hand, I would fall into despair. He will have to help me with this list, no way I could do this alone.  

As I simply "hang out" with God, I begin to find some stability for my sometimes troubled soul. I get to know Him and begin to have relationship and fellowship, not the emptiness of “religion”, which has no transforming power. I have relationship with God, His Son and Holy Spirit, as a beloved daughter who has repented and asked forgiveness of sin and for help in my walk up towards Heaven and Eternity, day by day.

 I also find solace in the power of beauty. I am still vulnerable to stress, hammered too much by hurricanes of intense emotion and I often feel like an outsider, not resonating with 98% of humanity.  That is my own unique set of temperaments, traumas and inner dialogues that will...not...shut...up...

As much as I am drawn to things of beauty, I  sometimes do not feel beautiful myself, as I get older. While I have never been "drop-dead" gorgeous, I have average looks that can be reasonably enhanced by things like makeup and color and certain garments I feel good or protected in wearing. I have very good intelligence, which I almost prefer to physical beauty, as that is somewhat temporary and the mental state is prime as you move into Elder time.  It remains that  the primal elements of aging are difficult, as I turn 72 in a few days.  I have also walked for decades in financial lack and in survival mode. That does "color" my view of things, as it is difficult to not be cynical and careworn with so much scrambling for funds for so many things I need and have learned to do without (otherwise known as “coping’). While I am not in debt (thank YOU God!) and do not live a profligate life, I do scramble a lot for financial stability, as prices on everything have gone way up over the last few years. I ask God’s help with this and He is guiding me slowly but surely, as I learn to trust Him.

Through this personal battle,  I take refuge in the power of beauty. I have been drawn to beauty since my childhood, in the things seemingly unnoticed by the rowdy and rambunctious world. Even as a blunt girl, I have never had a hard-driving temperment. I see the immense power of beauty in the natural realm first, with color, shape, texture, symmetry and the elegance and power of God's artistry. He wastes nothing in His creation and offers us comfort and shelter within the beauty hiding in plain view. 

Somehow, beautiful things or locations or photos give me refuge from the harshness of human life. Some of life is quite wonderful at times, but since I am  sorry to admit that I am still one of those "half-empty" types, I cling to things of simple beauty, to add fuel to my often too-empty ballast. 

 Symmetry, shape, color, texture, the incredible variety of God's Creation, what a gift it is, and free for the observing. Just a couple of nights ago, I greeted my favorite constellation in the spangled late Autumn night sky, Orion the Hunter, with his aim and his belt. Only viewable during the late autumn, winter and very early spring, I always take solace in the Hunter and His wide and warrior stance, taking full aim and in his element. 

God Himself must be an incredible lover of beauty! Just looking at even a small area of the earth, I am stunned by such a plethora of amazing presence that fills my heart with enough strength to get to the next step. Mountains, trees, water, rocks, animal friends, humans of all colors and cultures, the sheer magnitude of what God made is overwhelming. Also, whether high fashion or humble working garments, I find inspiration in clothing as well (more on that in future pieces).

In the realm of words, I somehow find a place to belong. Words and writing are the gifts that God gave to me. In words, I can soar, I can hunker down, I can sit with the critters, I can sit in the valley or the top of the mountain (metaphorically!) and simply absorb the grandeur or humor or strength that flows from each. 

As Holy Spirit defines my "strip tease" journey,  it is essentially in front of whatever small audience who might kindly spend a handful of minutes reading my words.  I humbly hope to offer a spark of encouragement and inspiration to people out there, who may sometimes feel so invisible, so un-needed, so unwanted, so "left-behind" and so overwhelmed by the demands of the material realm. I have always been a child of the spirit rather than a hard-driving type-A, charging up the mountain.  I would last about five seconds of charging up anywhere, even a blasted molehill (whatever the heck a molehill is...)  I have to be who I am, a strange blend of sensitive and poetic soul who also has elements of a warrior spirit.  

As I do in each of my weekly writing pieces, the offer always stands to simply lay down your battles even for a minute or two, "flop on the couch with Papa" and set down your burdens a bit.  Pour out your heart just as King David did in the Psalms. David was VERY blunt in his conversations with God!   Papa God knows all the gnarly details of your life, the things you try to shove under the bed or the rug.  You might as well just lay it all on the table and "fess up" ( repentance!) and simply ask for HELP HELP and more HELP. God knows we need it, correct?? He does not scold or castigate. We are NOT designed to carry all this heavy burden, as God often tells me. Thank You, Papa God, for Your mercy in repeating to my troubled soul so often, to not carry the burden myself but cast it on Him and His Son and simply seek Your face and Your guidance, once again.

I will write more on the vast subject of the power of beauty. This does not mean "movie star" beauty or what is considered classically beautiful. This is raw and primeval and uncaptured beauty that cannot be caught...but by its very essence, is wild and free and accompanies you on your journey, whether up, down or sideways.  

Jump on!

Wendy Elizabeth Williams    Nov. 1, 2024

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