Ben Wilson, LPC

Play and Beauty are two essential categories to explore in healing from infidelity.  On Saturdays I plan to offer my own essays on these topics and to borrow the words of others.  The following is from John Calvin quoted in the The Westminster Collection of Christian Meditations.  

Let this be our principle: that the use of God's gifts is not wrongly directed when it is referred to that end to which the author himself created and destined them for us, since he created them for our good, not our ruin.  Accordingly, no one will hold to a straighter path than he who diligently looks to this end.  Now if we ponder to what end God created food, we shall find that he meant not only to provide for necessity but also for delight and good cheer. Thus the purpose of clothing, apart from necessity, was comliness and decency. 

In grasses, trees, and fruits, apart from their various uses, there is beauty of appearance and pleasantness of odour [cf. Genesis 2:9]. For if this were not true, the prophet would not have reckoned them among the benefits of God, 'that wine gladdens the heart of man, that oil makes his face shine' [Psalm 104:15]. Scriptures would not have reminded us repeatedly, in commending his kindness, that he gave all such things to men.

And the natural qualities themselves of things demonstrate sufficiently to what end and extent we may enjoy them. Has the Lord clothed the flowers with the great beauty that greets our eyes, the sweetness of smell that is wafted up to our nostrils, and yet will it be unlawful for our eyes to be affected by that beauty, or our sense of smell by the sweetness of that odour?

What? Did he not so distinguish colours as to make some more lovely than others? What? Did he not endow gold and silver, ivory and marble, with a loveliness that renders them more precious than other metals or stones? Did he not, in short, render many things attractive to us, apart from their necessary use?

My summary, God made things beautiful to reflect something of who he is.  He wants us to enjoy beauty for his and our pleasure.