Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

Truth, beauty, and goodness - how ought we to think of and relate to them, and can we embody them? Perhaps not perfectly, no. But it's a noble endeavor to study, ponder, and pursue these three, and to celebrate when they're encountered. And this is why we homeschool, by the way. But speaking seriously, truth and beauty and goodness are close cousins. What is good must be in alignment with the truth, and something true and good is inherent to those people, places, and things which we call objectively beautiful. "The Earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." And whatever He entrusts to us, contentment is found in remembering that everything is made by God and still belongs to Him and is for Him. This is why one of the Ten Commandments is to not covet anything that belongs to our neighbor. This is also why grumbling and murmuring are serious sins against our Maker. In essence, to grumble and complain with how much or little we have of this or that is to find fault with God, as if He made a mistake or was unjust.  For that matter, consider the case of Joseph and his brothers. The coat of many colors their father had given made them hate him. But what did they do with it when they took it from him? They tore it to pieces and smeared it with blood to try and make their story of why Joseph wouldn't be around anymore stick. The actions of Joseph's brothers against him were not good. The once beautiful coat was no longer beautiful when it was presented to Jacob. And the story told about a wild animal tearing their brother to pieces was not true! Nevertheless, God was still good. There still was the truth of the Lord's purpose. And how the whole business worked out to the saving from famine of all of Joseph's family and many more besides, plus the reconciliation of a family torn apart by bitterness and jealousy - that was beautiful indeed in the end. So also in our circumstances. They may not always be pretty, but what God is doing in them will always in the end be true and beautiful and good. And we should remember that fact, and meditate on it in the midst of a world which will continue on in being very much broken until Christ returns and remakes it. In so remembering and meditating, we will find both wisdom and righteousness, and a peace that surpasses all understanding.