Fix Your Mind – Whatever is Lovely/Beautiful (Part 5)
November 25, 2023
There is a saying: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most of my life, I considered it to be a sarcastic remark, meaning whoever thought this or that was beautiful had terrible taste and poor judgment. It’s like those remarks that people leave on webpages about how boring or ugly this or that park/city/state/country was. But, if I am going to fix my mind on whatever is lovely or beautiful, I should focus on becoming the beholder, not a judge of the beholder.
A beholder is an observer, someone who gains awareness of things through the senses, especially sight. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the person who is observing gets to decide what is beautiful. If I have any hope of being worry-free and at peace, I need to focus my mind on the good things described in Philippians 4:8. The Message translation puts it this way:
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
What does God consider to be beautiful?
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4 (AMPC)
Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God, for He is gracious and lovely; praise is becoming and appropriate. Psalm 147:1
Loyalty makes a person attractive.
It is better to be poor than dishonest. Proverbs 19:22
Timely advice is lovely,
like golden apples in a silver basket. Proverbs 25:11 (NLT)
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who proclaims peace,
who brings good news of happiness,
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 (MEV)
But Jesus said, Let her alone; why are you troubling her? She has done a good and beautiful thing to Me [praiseworthy and noble]. Mark 14:6 (AMPC)
Jesus had to refocus the conversation in Mark 14. Instead of letting those around Him think about the wastefulness of the woman who anointed His feet with expensive ointment, Jesus called it good and beautiful. He was looking at it from an eternal perspective and beholding the beauty of it.
People who honor God and His commandments are very beautiful. Instead of dwelling on the person at work who threw me under the bus, I should be thinking about the people who are loyal, honest, bring good news by being upbeat, and give me good advice. I can decide to be a beholder of beauty – the beauty of those around me and the beauty of my kind and merciful God.
Beauty is all around us, even if we ignore it. Dwelling on beauty is a choice with a promise. The promise of peace that happens to our souls when we look at a beautiful sunset, a tree turning colors in the fall, or the laughter of children. “Pay attention to beauty” is Paul’s timeless advice. This advice truly is the golden apple in a silver basket.
Prayer: Father God, You have created beauty all around us as a lovely gift and we are so grateful for it. Holy Spirit, quicken our hearts to look for that beauty every day instead of dwelling on ugliness. I will praise You when I see that beauty. I love you, Lord. Amen.