Beau·ti·ful
ˈbyo͞otəfəl/
(Adjective) Pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically. of a very high standard; excellent.
There are a lot of beautiful things on this earth. Everything, with not one exception, is created to absolute perfection. Everything imaginable holds this beauty because God created it brilliantly and perfectly. And our God is beautifully breathtaking. There is no room for a mistake when God is creating, because He is the flawless Creator, and He makes all things good. And He created this beauty for you and me to be completely enchanted by it.
His creation is for us to marvel in. He wants us completely captivated, for it is in that moment we will experience our Father just by opening our eyes.
All the time I hear, "Oh wow Lauren, how long did you spend thinking of a caption for that photo," "Are you really laying on the floor right now to take a picture," and my personal favorite, "There you go again, doing it for the Insta."
But my friends (or should I say followers), let me tell you, I am not "doing it for the Insta." (I actually don't know what that even means yet...)
I am doing it for the Creator of the beauty I am so enthralled by. I am merely sharing something that captivates me. My hope is that it mesmerizes you as well, that it brings you back to your First Love, and brings a new appreciation to the Creator, if only for a moment.
I love capturing something God put into my world for me to enjoy. My prayer has been to see things through His eyes, and to see things the way He sees them. Now I have a new appreciation and understanding of beauty; not only within a picture-worthy sky, but within people's hearts and other surroundings not normally thought of as prepossessing. Now I notice things that never had caught my attention before, because I look for God in everything. New angles and vantage points of my subjects allow me to see and reveal new perspectives of our exquisite God.
And those perspectives are endless because God is infinite. No matter how many times you look at a picture of something, new facets of God can always be disclosed.
Staring at an immaculate sunset or wasting my thoughts away in a deep forest is my safe haven. In the moment I am captivated by His beauty is the moment when I am experiencing the One who is after my heart. That is when I experience the one who created it all with me in mind! He created it all for my wonder, because He knew the smile I would get when I saw it. And there is no doubt that our Father loves to see His children smile. He knew the marvel I would have when I looked down from the top of the Rocky Mountains for the first time. And what is truly amazing is that same marvel is multiplied infinitely when He catches just one glance of me.
The same way His creation fascinates me, I fascinate Him.
God loves to give us these moments of pure fascination. I remember last year, for my sister's birthday, I had the perfect present in mind. I bought her tickets to go see our favorite band, Mayday Parade (please don't let this distract from my credibility). I could not wait until the day she opened them because I knew how excited she would be and how much she would love the show. I counted down the days until she finally opened my gift because I was eager to see her happiness. When she opened the gift, her smile made me smile. Proverbs 16:9 says "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps." God knows exactly where you are going to be at every moment. He plans every single moment you will experience, every last one of them containing new beauties and topics of fascination. God loves to plan surprises for His children. He has the perfect "gift" for you, and counts down the days until you get to "open" it. Is it a sunrise over Lake Powell? A mother reading a book to her daughter? A snowboarder mastering his "ninety roll?" He is so excited to reveal His masterpieces. After all, He loves to see you smile.
It is my great pleasure to show others the various simple beauties we often overlook in our daily lives, even if it is on a controversial social media site. But God is beckoning us to slow down and notice the gift He is trying to give you! Sit and marvel at His goodness. Be captivated. He is in a constant pursuit of your fascination, but sometimes your eyes need to be trained to see the things He is showing us.
I will throw it up on that young Instagram because I want to share this incandescent beauty with as many people who want to experience it. What holds someone's attention reveals what their soul longs for. Because everyone, whether they are aware of it or not, long to experience God.
ˈbyo͞otəfəl/
(Adjective) Pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically. of a very high standard; excellent.
There are a lot of beautiful things on this earth. Everything, with not one exception, is created to absolute perfection. Everything imaginable holds this beauty because God created it brilliantly and perfectly. And our God is beautifully breathtaking. There is no room for a mistake when God is creating, because He is the flawless Creator, and He makes all things good. And He created this beauty for you and me to be completely enchanted by it.
His creation is for us to marvel in. He wants us completely captivated, for it is in that moment we will experience our Father just by opening our eyes.
All the time I hear, "Oh wow Lauren, how long did you spend thinking of a caption for that photo," "Are you really laying on the floor right now to take a picture," and my personal favorite, "There you go again, doing it for the Insta."
But my friends (or should I say followers), let me tell you, I am not "doing it for the Insta." (I actually don't know what that even means yet...)
I am doing it for the Creator of the beauty I am so enthralled by. I am merely sharing something that captivates me. My hope is that it mesmerizes you as well, that it brings you back to your First Love, and brings a new appreciation to the Creator, if only for a moment.
I love capturing something God put into my world for me to enjoy. My prayer has been to see things through His eyes, and to see things the way He sees them. Now I have a new appreciation and understanding of beauty; not only within a picture-worthy sky, but within people's hearts and other surroundings not normally thought of as prepossessing. Now I notice things that never had caught my attention before, because I look for God in everything. New angles and vantage points of my subjects allow me to see and reveal new perspectives of our exquisite God.
And those perspectives are endless because God is infinite. No matter how many times you look at a picture of something, new facets of God can always be disclosed.
Staring at an immaculate sunset or wasting my thoughts away in a deep forest is my safe haven. In the moment I am captivated by His beauty is the moment when I am experiencing the One who is after my heart. That is when I experience the one who created it all with me in mind! He created it all for my wonder, because He knew the smile I would get when I saw it. And there is no doubt that our Father loves to see His children smile. He knew the marvel I would have when I looked down from the top of the Rocky Mountains for the first time. And what is truly amazing is that same marvel is multiplied infinitely when He catches just one glance of me.
The same way His creation fascinates me, I fascinate Him.
God loves to give us these moments of pure fascination. I remember last year, for my sister's birthday, I had the perfect present in mind. I bought her tickets to go see our favorite band, Mayday Parade (please don't let this distract from my credibility). I could not wait until the day she opened them because I knew how excited she would be and how much she would love the show. I counted down the days until she finally opened my gift because I was eager to see her happiness. When she opened the gift, her smile made me smile. Proverbs 16:9 says "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps." God knows exactly where you are going to be at every moment. He plans every single moment you will experience, every last one of them containing new beauties and topics of fascination. God loves to plan surprises for His children. He has the perfect "gift" for you, and counts down the days until you get to "open" it. Is it a sunrise over Lake Powell? A mother reading a book to her daughter? A snowboarder mastering his "ninety roll?" He is so excited to reveal His masterpieces. After all, He loves to see you smile.
It is my great pleasure to show others the various simple beauties we often overlook in our daily lives, even if it is on a controversial social media site. But God is beckoning us to slow down and notice the gift He is trying to give you! Sit and marvel at His goodness. Be captivated. He is in a constant pursuit of your fascination, but sometimes your eyes need to be trained to see the things He is showing us.
I will throw it up on that young Instagram because I want to share this incandescent beauty with as many people who want to experience it. What holds someone's attention reveals what their soul longs for. Because everyone, whether they are aware of it or not, long to experience God.