The Power of Beauty Within

Do you know those moments when the beauty and the goodness of life catch you off guard and take your breath away? Maybe you sought them out, like a trip to the Grand Canyon, a day at a museum, or fathering children. But then you stand at the South Rim of the canyon, gaze at a famous painting, or hold your newborn for the first time, only to find that nothing could have prepared you for the wonder of the moment. Or maybe it came out of nowhere, like a dazzling sunset or a song that tugs at your heart. Beauty has a way of surprising us, getting past our defenses, and undoing us.

It’s the wow that leaves us jaw-dropped and speechless. It’s the whole-body sensation that overwhelms us—chills, goose bumps, a stomach flutter. Beauty moves us. If you’re ever going to have an alive sexuality, this is lesson number one—a lesson that few of us ever got: we must learn how to handle and receive the power of beauty within us.

Whether your sexuality is controlling or coercive or marvelous and awe-inspiring hinges on what you do with beauty. Beauty is not just something pretty to look at; it’s about presence, not simply appearance. When experienced fully, it impacts our whole being. It may thrill the eyes, but to be fully grasped it must stir the rest of the senses.

To receive beauty in all its fullness, and thereby to receive sexuality for all it was meant to be, we must learn to embrace the fullness of our body’s design for pleasure.

All of the pleasure we encounter in the world God made is meant to take us somewhere. More than simply making us feel good, beauty is meant to rouse us to something greater than ourselves. Sensual pleasure is meant to help us fall in love with the beautiful things of this world and the God who made them. As His Word says, “From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth” (Psalm 50:2).

Beauty stirs the body to pleasure, and pleasure stirs the heart to love. It all begins when we learn to harness the power of beauty in our lives.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the beauty You have placed within and around me. Grant me strength to behold it rightly and embrace its power as You lead me. Amen.