Infinitum Advent Behold Beauty, Week 1Sample

Do you remember that part in the story, The Grinch Stole Christmas, when the Grinch’s heart “grew three sizes that day?” It’s a favorite moment in the movie for many of us. He stood there with his Grinch-feet stuck in the snow and then waited. For what? To see what would happen when the Who Village realized that their packages, boxes, and bags had been taken away. But instead of the anticipated “boo hoo'' ascending the mountain, a song did. The Who’s song reached him…with unexpected beauty. The song wasn’t necessarily beautiful because of the sound or even the words. I mean, who really knows what “Dahoo Dores” even means? No—their songs were beautiful because they emerged from something that couldn’t be packaged in a box. Something eternal. It was then that the Grinch had his epiphany, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store … Maybe Christmas is a little bit more.” The Grinch had an encounter with beauty, and his heart expanded three sizes to take it in…b ecause that’s what beauty does . As John O’Donohue puts it, “the wonder of the Beautiful is its ability to surprise us. With swift, sheer grace, it is like a divine breath that blows the heart open.” The Grinch had his heart blown wide open by beauty. The aim of beauty is to expand our souls to take in the eternal, infinite, and lavish love of God. We know this deep down, don’t we? When we behold the beauty of a sunset, child, or God Himself, we become a little bigger inside. We allow something to enter us as we also have opened ourselves up to it. We all need moments like this. Moments that blow our hearts wide open to accommodate the vastness of divine love. Because according to 2 Corinthians 3:18, there is something that happens when we open ourselves to beauty. When we “see the glory of the Lord … we are being transformed into the same image.” As William Blake suggests, “we become what we behold.” If God truly is the beautiful One, the source where all beauty emanates from, then as we behold Him, we become like Him. He molds us in His divine embrace to look more like the image of His son. What might it look like to “see the Glory of the Lord” this week by beholding beauty? Consider meditating on the beauty of Christ in a painting or in your imagination. As you behold Him, ask, “Lord, how are you wanting to transform me in this moment to look more like You?” If you would like to follow along each week of Advent with Infinitum, please visit [ https://infinitumlife.com/2022advent ](https://infinitumlife.com/2022advent) for more bible reading plans and advent resources.