By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. (Hebrews 11:23–24 ESV)
The most beautiful object I presently own is a small angel-like statue that sits nearby my computer when I write. It is not the most skillfully made ceramic. It’s sort of cheesy. And I usually don’t like angel-statues. But this one, to me, is beautiful. The single word printed on the bottom hem of the robe says simply, “Loved.”
It is beautiful because it connects my heart, my mind, and the physical world. It was given to me with the purpose of encouragement, and it does it’s job. It does not claim any power, or induce any idol-like wonder, or distract me from the rest of my life. It is a beauty in my life because it is complete, completes its good purpose, and while no doubt effected by Adam’s sin, is good.
And when I am discouraged, disheartened, lonely, failing, disliked, or afraid, this beauty reminds me of all the times that God has told me in His Word that I am loved. (It is a lot!)
Moses’ parents looked at baby Moses and saw beauty. Beauty that overcame fear.
Not because he had cute little googly eyes. Not because his face was pleasantly symmetrical. Not because his countenance reminded them of Uncle Bob.
But because in Moses they saw God’s Word being fulfilled. And that was beautiful.
The people of Abraham were slaves in Egypt. The blessing of Joseph’s protection had turned to bile. They were oppressed, threatened, and empty. But some remembered God’s promises of redemption, of hope, of protection, of a Promised Land. God’s Word is not simply a set of directives. It was written to give hope.
And that baby was beautiful because somehow, in that baby, they saw the promise of God’s Word being fulfilled.
So even though they faced retributive death, they were not afraid.
When you notice fear, find some beauty to notice instead.
When the Fellowship of the Ring were on their way to Mordor (a VERY frightening place) they stop for a time in a beautiful forest, where an elf, Haldir, says something like:
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
Beauty is good, yes? But an unclaimed capacity of Beauty is that it diminishes the Fear Beast. Someone should write a fairy tale about that…
Fear not, because of beauty.