Lover of Beauty, Giver of Peace
by Suzanne Felton
A faint pink halo outlined the massive, jagged silhouette of the mountain far across the river. All was still except for the rippling roar of the water and the rhythmic, back-and-forth motion of my husband’s fly rod in its midst. Little by little, new sun rays peeked over the horizon, sprinkling glittery sequins onto the surface of the river and painting the sky in new pastel hues. I caught my breath as an osprey appeared out of nowhere, plucking a whitefish out of the water in one swift motion and then carrying its breakfast to the top of a lodgepole pine. A harmonious vibrance imbued the air as the earth awakened to a glorious new day.
Early in our marriage, my husband and I decided to choose a vacation destination that would be new to both of us. Both lovers of wide-open spaces, we chose a place that seemed like a foreign land to our East Coast upbringings: Montana. We began our adventure at a bed-and-breakfast in a place aptly named Paradise Valley. With the Yellowstone River only yards from the back door, my husband could fly fish before sunrise while I perched on a riverside boulder with my birding binoculars, taking in the scenery that hardly seemed real.
That second morning, I was so overcome by the beauty on display that I couldn’t help but join nature’s praise chorus, whispering words of hymns that sprang unbidden from my overflowing heart. Surrounded by spacious skies and purple mountain majesty, I felt his grace on me. Like the river, glorious was God’s perfect peace. How great he was! God’s very nature was reflected in all he had created. He is a lover of beauty, a giver of peace.
My husband and I walked back to the inn, hand-in-hand, carried by the warmth and gratitude that filled our hearts, but an unexpected chill met us in the dining room. Instead of the meal we were anticipating, our hostess—looking grave—set a small TV on the table. We were just in time to witness the collapse of the second Twin Tower.
It was September 11, 2001, 7:59 AM Mountain Time (9:59 AM in New York City). Like everyone else watching around the world, we could hardly process the horror unfolding on the little screen. Even the broadcasters sounded stunned and confused as they did their best to narrate the nightmare that was not a dream. All beauty and peace vanished in an instant, obliterated by grief and utter dismay. The thief had come to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10), and he had succeeded on a massive scale.
I don’t remember many details after that. I’m sure we watched the broadcast a while longer. We may have tried to nibble on some breakfast. The rest is a blur. Our vacation had just begun. We were 2,000 miles from home. With airports on emergency lockdown, there was nothing to do but continue with our plans. We checked out of the inn and headed northward.
I do remember Montana’s big sky being bright and blue that day, yet a shadow of darkness seemed to cover everything. The beauty outside the rental car was shrouded from my eyes as we drove silently, the reality of evil still slowly sinking in. Where was God? How could he have let this happen? His peace seemed shattered forever.
Thinking back on that time, I’m still struck by the juxtaposition of beauty and unholiness, peace and malevolence that took place. Swept from one extreme to the other without warning, I could not contain both at the same time. In the wake of the terrorist attacks, it felt wrong to appreciate beauty or experience peace ever again. My human mind could not comprehend that a God who is a lover of beauty and giver of peace could be present in such an evil world. All these years later, it’s still hard.
When our peace is shattered, we can trust the One who is always at work and grants us peace.
The book of John is filled with imagery contrasting evil and good, darkness and light, death and life in Christ. After describing the thief, the second half of John 10:10 states, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full”. Jesus, the Creator incarnate, came to us knowing there was evil and darkness in the world, but serving as a beacon of hope in the midst of it. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:3-5). “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
When the world grows dark, beauty can seem obscured from our eyes, and peace can feel impossibly far away. Yet beauty hasn’t vanished—it remains even when we can’t see it. In times like these, we must put our faith into practice, holding fast to what we believe, even when we cannot see how God is working. And just as night must give way to the morning sun, the darkness of evil cannot overcome the true Light that illuminates beauty and bestows peace.
Suzanne Felton is a writer, reader, birder, deep thinker, and lover of beauty. @l_suzanne_felton