Leading Christian apologist and scientist, John Lennox, says:
"Describing beauty is almost impossible because we perceive it, rather than describe it. If you look at a Rembrandt painting and start to try and describe what the beauty is you see, your words sound absolutely pathetic."
Perhaps this is why we are sometimes lost for words, when we see the beauty of Creation all around us. Beauty is there to be witnessed, perceived and enjoyed, but we struggle to find adequate words to articulate what we are seeing.
If you have even seen something truly breathtaking, it is hard to describe this to someone else, even to people you know well. The best way to allow others to enjoy it, is to try and show it them, so they can see it with their own eyes.
The Psalmist had a very good handle on words, and he described beauty and creation in this way:
I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?
Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps.
God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world. (Eugene Peterson)
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