DISCOVERY

"I have always been fascinated by beautiful things: architecture, furniture, books. Beautiful things are prepared with love. The act of creating something of beauty is a way of bringing good into the world. Infused with optimism, it says simply: Life is worthwhile." (Alan Moore, Designer)

In a world where suffering and death are looming in all facets, I love an artist's contribution to this world. Good design creates order in unpredictable chaos. Artistry manifests child-like imagination where suffering is momentarily blurred. Beauty is like Heaven on earth. And art simultaneously encapsulates pain very well too, but in a way where we can feel and embrace it better. I love that.

When I was in preschool, my teacher had this Christmas crafts catalogue which capsized my mind at 3 years old. My discovery of this magazine mesmerized me to the point where even today, I can recall its faint impressions. I obsessively poured over the colors, the wrapping paper assortments, and the lights every day after school... Who knew how long this went on for until my teacher graciously let me take her catalogue home.

Perhaps one of the biggest mistake I'd had to correct as an adult, was allowing myself to believe that something was wrong with me for liking what I liked. Numbers, methods, and performance were taught as the "better metric" for doing "good" in the world while feelings, concepts and abstract ideas felt isolated and secondary. I felt stunted, and often guilty. It certainly did not help to grow up in a Asian-American-immigrant-conservative-Christian household — I know, that's a lot. But it's all unraveling beautifully now.

For me, beauty is much more than the mundane, lesser values of life. Sometimes, I am more moved by how the light hits the windows and pours into the design of local coffee shop than I am by methodical explanations or knowledge... because I see God very clearly in it. Same with the bass on a track, a collective orchestra, the construction of a chair, or by ways of a floral arrangement. I know it's odd, but to me it often feels weighty. It reveals that we are both born in His image, and in all of our short-comings and failures, we have the ability to take part in His creation narrative. Thus, a "chair" is not just a "chair." It is an overwhelming invitation, a cup of grace.

Lately, I have been giving myself permission to delight in and to embrace this. Dismantling the idea that beauty is mere pleasure-seeking vanity has liberated me in many ways. Isaiah 55 gives us the image of the mountains breaking forth in song and the trees of the fields clapping their hands. Nature unscathed reveals God's glory, and the work of mans' hands unveils the longing in our hearts for all that is yet to come. In Him, beauty is profound in meaning. Today, I sat in a coffee shop and read. I watched videos on modern culture + Christianity. I facetimed with my mom. Then I perused local shops and felt so inspired. As "Sabbath" is taking deeper meaning and root in my life this year (I highly, highly, recommend the podcast series by John Mark Comer) I nestled into deep rest.