Beauty? Why?

Please note, the last five lines are  not original, but I have no idea who to credit them to.


What kind of God puts such beauty in such places?
Hidden deep in the Earth,
Unseen, unsuspected, unknown, lost in stygian black.
Or else so arid, or so dry that
None but the fool or the pilgrim ventures there.

Are we truly in Your image?
Then, that which we find beautiful must,
By both logic and by implication,
Find beauty in Your eyes.

Yet this beauty is found,
If found at all,
In places we do not casually go,
In places we can barely survive.
In dark so dense it drowns even sound,
In heat so intense it melts concentration.

Why would You do this?
Is it to show us that beauty can be found anywhere?
Is it show that beauty is everywhere
if we but know how to look for it.

Beauty in the darkness?
To show, no matter how dark,
There is still something glorious?

Beauty in the heat?
To show, no matter how hot,
There is still something thrilling?

Beauty everywhere?
To show, no matter what,
That You are there?

Another gift from You?
No matter what, there is beauty,
If only we know how to look for it.

How much must you love us Lord?

He smiled,
He said “How Much?”
He spread his arms wide.
He said “This much.”
He died.

Nov 2007 (Revisied Oct 2008) (2nd revision Aug 2011)