A BEAUTIFUL HIGH

"I created beauty to declare the existence of my holy Being. A magnificent rose, a hauntingly glorious sunset, oceanic splendor-- all these things were meant to proclaim My Presence in the world. Most people rush past these proclamations without giving them a second thought...How precious are My children who are awed by nature's beauty; this opens them up to My holy Presence."

-Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

     As a 21st century young adult, I see so many of my peers searching for something that feels good. When we are kids, picking dandelions, swinging on a swing, or gazing at fireworks are enough to give us that feeling of exhilaration. But somewhere along the line, those things dull out and lose their appeal. We start feeling like we're too old or too mature to truly take pleasure in the beauty that God has sprinkled all over the world around us.

     This is when the light starts shining on the fun and wild stuff-- alcohol, drugs, sex, hardcore partying, speeding on the highway. We leave simple and beautiful pleasures behind for destructive pleasures. We take a good thing like sex and completely turn the whole purpose of it inside out. This is the loss of that precious childlike innocence we once had.

     In my own life, I have dipped and dabbed in some very destructive pleasures...ones that God strongly advises us against. I always found that I was really excited before doing them and while doing them, but the aftermath was a completely different story. I was left feeling emptier than I was before. There was another layer of pain coating my heart as I realized that my void had not been filled. It was in those moments that I would think to myself "Why did I think this was a good idea? What has this really done for me?" The lines get blurred and it's very hard to remember why that thing had me so captivated in the first place.

     This is NEVER the case with Godly pleasures. They are just as wonderful in the moment as they are out of the moment. I have yet to regret watching the sun set over the Brooklyn Bridge, or running through a classic New York City summer thunderstorm getting my hair and clothes soaked. You see, the enemy makes it his mission to keep us engrossed in the external. He wants us to continue to participate in things that will please our flesh while they damage us internally. God wants us to participate in things that will please us internally, so that the beauty will radiate outward. God's pleasures go straight to the heart. They touch our deepest places and shape our character.

     I would like to challenge you to lay down your drug of choice-- greasy foods, sex, smoking, etc. -- for a few days. During that time, try all you can to peer into the beauty that surrounds you. This doesn't mean that you have to have a beautiful house, or live in a gorgeous affluent neighborhood. Not at all. There is beauty in the laugh of a child, the wrinkles impressed in a senior's face, the sound of cars passing by, the many hues of color in the morning sky.

     Allow these things to penetrate your senses. Let them in. They were designed to make you aware of God's beautiful presence with you wherever you go. Take part in a beautiful high...one you can access at any moment, one that doesn't cost you your money or your self worth, one that brings you closer to Jesus, one that you can be proud of.

And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" 

-Isaiah 6:3

Love you always,

Lauren <3