Take Time to Surround Yourself with Beauty (It’s a Craving for Jesus)

Take Time to Surround Yourself with Beauty | by Jamie Rohrbaugh | FromHisPresence.comDo you crave all things lovely? Do you love nothing more than to surround yourself with beauty?

Do you love color and texture and tones and shading? Whether it’s in your home, your clothing, your artwork, or the product you produce at work, do you love to make everything look just so?

But then, if so, do you feel guilty sometimes? Because either:

a) Sometimes you feel like you shouldn’t be so picky. People label you “OCD” or “perfectionist,” and you think they’re probably right and there must be something wrong with you.

OR

b) Beauty feels like a luxury, and you feel like you either don’t deserve or can’t afford luxury.

If that’s you, I have an encouraging word for you today.

Can I present a different perspective about your craving for beauty? A perspective that will show you it’s ok–no, more than ok–to surround yourself with beauty?

But first, a story.

It was 2006. My company decided to pay out a bonus for the very first time. Almost everybody got one. It was unexpected, un-budgeted-for money, and I was so excited.

But I knew I had to use it wisely, so I did responsible things with it .. except for one thing.

I went to a local surplus store and bought two sets of $40 bed linens.

That may seem laughable to you, but to me, it was huge. It was huge because they were really nice, soft, smooth linens that I loved. But it was an even bigger deal because I felt like spending $40 on sheets for myself was an unheard-of luxury–a luxury I never dreamed of affording–but when I went ahead and spent the money, I felt so special.

And when I used those bed linens, they were beautiful, and it made me feel like making my whole house beautiful. So I did what I could to make things look nicer than they ever had, and I felt the Holy Spirit’s joy in that.

And I started to learn about beauty, and how surrounding yourself with beauty is a holy thing–never a waste.

Since that time, I’ve learned that people often feel guilty about doing anything for themselves. They feel guilty about spending money on beauty. But you know what? We don’t have to feel guilty.  And if you’re one who has that craving for loveliness, I have an encouraging word for you today. Here it is:

You don’t have to feel guilty anymore for desiring beauty. You don’t have to feel OCD for wanting things just so. You know why?

Because your craving for beauty is a result of the Holy Spirit brooding over you and giving you a deep yearning for Jesus Christ Himself.

Oh, yes. True story.

How can I say that? Because Jesus Christ is Beauty Incarnate. He is the entire Concept of Beauty in bodily form. He contains all beauty in Himself, for He IS Beauty.

Related: If You’re Tired and Worn Out, Jesus Is Like Sweet Nectar

Psalm 27:4 | Take Time to Surround Yourself With Beauty | by Jamie Rohrbaugh | FromHisPresence.com

Check out Psalm 27:4 (which just happens to be my life verse):

Start-quoteOne thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (emphasis mine).

Our God is beautiful. It’s His DNA. All beauty in heaven and earth is but a shadow of the beauty of its Creator. And you know what that means for you and for me?

Just this:

The yearning you feel to surround yourself with beauty is actually the deepest place of your spirit calling to the deep place of our Abba Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

You want Him, and expressing yourself through beauty is an outlet that actually manifests Him on the earth.

Oh, yes. When you recovered that furniture and made it beautiful. When you painted that room or that picture. When you slipcovered that sofa and put it together with just the right artwork in your house.

You didn’t do that because you’re too picky. You didn’t do it because you’re OCD. And you didn’t do it because you’re even frugal.

My-beloved-is-mine-and-I-am-His
Click the meme if you want to share it on Facebook.

You did it because your soul craves your Beloved, who is the Picture of Beauty Himself. And when you released beauty into your environment, you released the manifestation of Jesus on the earth.

I’m praying earnestly for partners who will help me in this work of domestic missionarying. Is God calling you? Find out why, how, and what’s in it for you here.

Song of Solomon chapter 2 describes this craving of your soul for the soul of your Beloved–and His craving for you–better than any other passage I know. It says this:

Start-quoteHe brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sustain me with cakes of raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am lovesick. …

My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell.

Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. …

My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.”

Song of Solomon 2:4,5,10-14,16

Do you hear the hunger and craving in both the Beloved and the Bride in this passage? Precious reader, that Bride is YOU. And Jesus is the Beloved.

Each of us was created with a space on the inside that is made to be occupied only by Jesus. He is the only One who can ever satisfy. And whether we have given our lives to Him or not, all of us seek Him continuously because we need to fill that place.

If you haven’t given your heart to Him, you might not realize you’re seeking Him, but you are. It’s just that you seek to fill the void that is HIS place only through other things–like drugs and other addictions. You want desperately to be full on the inside; in your spirit. But none of those things will ever satisfy, because they cannot fill the place that was made only for Him.

If you have given your heart to Him, then your seeking will look different.

When you belong to Him and He belongs to you, your seeking of Him will be the precious companionship of a love relationship. You will spend time alone with Him, dancing with Him among the lilies.

Seeking His face.

Gazing into His eyes.

Staring at His beauty.

Because only Jesus can satisfy.

And when you crave beauty, beloved, and you feel compelled to release beauty on the earth–it’s because you know that this world is not your home.

Somehow, you know. Your spirit knows. Your spiritual umbilical cord to Papa God has never been cut, and you are still linked to Him. So releasing beauty on the earth is kind of like looking at a photo of someone that you love, but haven’t seen in awhile.

  • It’s like the military wife whose husband is on deployment, and she stares at his photo and weeps.
  • It’s like the daughter whose mother passed away decades ago, and she looks tearfully at mom’s portrait on Christmas and birthdays.
  • It’s like the husband who is so in love with his wife that he keeps a photo of him and her together in his car, just to look at.

Your craving for beauty is a craving for Jesus. It’s a deep, inner longing to be filled with the Desire of your heart–Jesus Christ–who alone can satisfy.

So go ahead. Surround yourself with all the beauty you can.

Take time to make beautiful art; to make your home and environment beautiful. Take time to care for and stare at the manifestation of Christ. Release the portrait of Jesus everywhere you go. Make yourself, your life, and your surroundings as beautiful as you can make them.

Because by doing so, you’re honoring your Beloved. Your Beloved is yours, and you are His. He is the One your soul craves, and it’s good and right to make everything around you reflect His image.

Do you crave beauty? Does this word resonate in your spirit today? If so, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

23 Comments

  1. Rebecca L Jones says:

    I understand this perfectly. It’s me. It’s why I wanted to make the Pinterest boards soothing, why I write and create. My father was creative, I have a picture he drew of my mother and I, but he left us when I was two. I was still creative, though my family isn’t quite as inclined and they don’t get it. It was my Abba at work all the time. I wish I’d known sooner.

    1. It is definitely the Holy Spirit working through you. He is the original Creator. The only time I ever heard Him speak to me audibly had to do with Him wanting to physically create art. It was amazing. He’s an Artist and He soooo wants to connect with us in that way.

  2. Oh my this is wonderful,i never knew this truth to be so.
    Today at church, during worship, I just sensed the Lord’s beauty. I can’t explain it but it was beautiful. Then I see this post and I know it’s for me. We even share the same life verse. Oh to know the depth of who He is…

    1. Yes, He’s amazing. Heart-rending and earth-shattering and face-bowing-to-the-ground amazing. Beautiful beyond description. Thank You, Jesus. We love You and bless You.

  3. I am a designer and I’m always seeing beauty in the smallest ways, it tickles me! I need my living and working environment to be visually pleasing. Some Christian people I know don’t understand it and think I’m being overly fussy and shouldn’t mind where I live as long as it’s clean. There is SO much more to life than living plainly. Beauty is where most of my joy comes from because the Lord created it. There are times when I’m made to feel guilty about it but I have had to stand up to it recently. Thanks for the article.

    1. I completely understand. I struggle with keeping things neat around my house sometimes. I get so busy that I neglect to put things away or just forget. But every time I straighten up and make things beautiful again, I can feel the Holy Spirit brooding over that space in such a tangible way. He loves all things beautiful, and He delights to inhabit those places.

      1. What do you mean when you say “Don’t let the Lord steal your joy?” Why would He do that?

        1. He wouldn’t. Huge typo. So sorry. I took it out. I must have been typing one thing then editing and got my sentence confused. Sorry about that. 🙁

  4. Thanks so much for this! In the past, I have craved beauty for the wrong reasons, and then struggled with feeling like craving it at all was wrong. Now I see that when it comes from the right place, it’s okay! I get made fun of a lot foralways having enjoyed fashion, makeup , and girly girl stuff and made to feel guilty about it. Glad to know I no longer have to apologize for it!

    1. You definitely don’t have to apologize. And I understand about the wrong reasons. I actually hesitated to put up this post because I didn’t want people to twist it and think that they can do unwise things (e.g. going into debt to buy new clothes or decorate a house) just to have beauty. We always need balance and wisdom in anything we do; that’s Scriptural. But the love of beauty is a God-given love. He’s rather passionate about beauty Himself, you know. 🙂 And as long as our motives are pure, we should always love what He loves. 🙂

      1. Rafael Somma says:

        I realize that life would be so much easier (at least for me) if we would apply Scriptures into EVERY moments of our lives.

  5. Rafael Somma says:

    So if I want a beautiful girlfriend by my side and I want to cherish her and protect her it’s because I want the beauty of Jesus by my side?

    1. I would say that’s two separate issues. You want a wife because that’s a desire God gave you, and God said it’s not good that man should be alone. You want her to be beautiful because you appreciate beauty, and you appreciate beauty because your spirit knows it’s a reflection of Jesus. 🙂

  6. This applies to me. I spend too much time not getting myself together. Just a rushing. I feel like a better me tending to myself and allowing my surroundings to better. Thank you and God bless.

    1. I’m with you, Alia. I don’t do well at stopping to take care of myself sometimes, but I always am better off when I do. Papa, help us. 🙂
      Thank you for sharing!

  7. Reenie O Riordan says:

    I need to get things beautiful in my life again, all along I just existed and I also want to feel the love of God, feel His presence and know Him personally and let Him love me, I’ve never known love and I pull back when people try to get close, i don’t feel loved or loveable, please pray for a new LIFE for me and to really know God loves me, thanks so much, Reenie

    1. Reenie, I will pray for you. I left you a link to my devotional series that will help, on your comment on the other post. Papa God loves you very much. I pray He would help you to sense His love and affection today, in Jesus’ name.

  8. Tears just streaming down as I read this. I so needed this word and this affirmation.

    1. Crystal, I don’t know what’s happening in your life right now; but I pray that, no matter what it is, that Papa would reaffirm His love, His call, His promises, His provision, and His faithfulness to you this very day. May you sense His presence and affection, and may your spirit be refilled and refreshed with His holy fire, in Jesus’ name.

      I felt led to share this song–Breathe On Me by Eddie James–it’s one of my favorites for when I need to hear from the Lord. If you like to pray to music, it might encourage you to listen to it and pray it back to Father as you do.

  9. I so needed this word – thank you Lord. My whole being yearns to create and beautify wherever I am …. For years I have been stuck in boring admin roles, where my creativity is not used. I have prayed for years for the Lord to,open the door to my own interior design business to use my gifts and earn a living … I had almost given up on this dream and prayers until I saw this post of yours – I will continue to seek Gods will to beautify homes for others in whatever form that may look like …

  10. I am making a video on Beauty and was looking for Scriptures on beautifying your home and environment. That is how I found your article. I was going to skim through, but the Holy Spirit told me to watch your video on releasing His resurrecting power in our lives; WOW, I could feel the ANOINTING OF GOD OOZING FROM YOUR LIPS. I really embrace this article you wrote on Beauty too: His, in ourselves, and for our surroundings. Bless you and your sacrifice to yield to His spirit, that others might be fill with His glory through your voice. Yes: Bless you indeed!

  11. Amen. I have been beautifying my surroundings and at times feel guilty like I am overdoing it. Thank you for this word that it is a natural desire craving the beauty of our LORD.

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