The Bible: A Story That Makes Sense of Life Sýnishorn

Origins and Beauty – Why is the World So Well Designed?

Sometimes, beauty stops us in our tracks. I was driving home recently when the car in front hit a pheasant. There is a little-known law in Britain, that the car behind the vehicle that knocks down the bird can claim the road-kill . . . so I did. With the dead pheasant in my boot, I texted my wife: ‘Don’t worry about dinner. I’ll pick something up on the way home!’ As the joke wore off, I began to Google how to pluck a pheasant. But when a long turquoise feather came off in my hand, I found myself mesmerized. Even in this world of evil and suffering, there is enough beauty in a single feather to sense that earth is enchanted with a glory beyond itself.

Have you ever stopped to think: Where did all the beauty come from? Order, shape, symmetry and colour don’t just happen. If you see a magnificent garden, there’s probably a gardener. If you enjoy a delicious meal, there will be a talented chef working behind the scenes, not a random explosion in the kitchen. We often ask why there is so much suffering, but it’s even more remarkable that there is so much beauty, love and justice. If it’s not natural, where did it originate? 

Genesis 1:2–3 takes us back to a moment when the world was dark, watery and empty. Then God simply speaks and commands order and beauty into being. God speaks and matter responds. Nothing is out of God’s control. When He whistles, a fish obediently swallows up a runaway prophet. When He speaks, waves and winds instantly die down. If instead we imagine the universe to be ruled by random forces, we will become anxious, oscillating between obsessive tendencies to control and fearful superstitions. But if we believe in a good and powerful God, then we can sleep peacefully and live confidently. 

The rest of Genesis 1 provides a beautiful account of six days of creation. Just as most products these days seem to have ‘Made in China’ written on them, the entire natural world has God’s ownership stamped all over it. Consequently, nothing is inherently evil, as surely as God made it good. Equally, nothing is divine. Instead, all things are to be enjoyed as good but not to be worshipped as god. As we recover this vision, life takes on new meaning.

REFLECT: Take hold of an object that displays natural beauty (a leaf, a feather, a piece of fruit). Examine it carefully and allow wonder and gratitude to stir.