Beauty

One of the concepts I've been learning in the book Captivating is that sometimes things can and should be beautiful for no functional purpose. Beauty for Beauty's sake. One place this is evident is in God's creation. Another is Las Vegas.

Yes, for me, it was heartbreaking to walk down Las Vegas Boulevard and see so many living empty lives, all alone yet surrounded by people. Satan's assault on women is so obvious here. Despair and greed and general unsatisfaction are evident in many faces.

But when we went into the Venetian on Monday through one of the many entrances off the Strip, I saw the first of many glimpses of all the beauty that exists here as well. Just inside this entryway there's a wall that could just be a plain wall, but it was decorated like the outside of a Venetian house. There are elaborate arrangements of fresh flowers everywhere in the hotels and casinos, not to mention the Conservatory in the Bellagio, and the shops in Caesar's and the Venetian that are inside but make you feel like you're outside because the ceiling is painted to resemble a beautiful blue sky.

Are these things necessary? No, they could just be plain and they would serve their purpose as a wall or a support or whatever. But why not be beautiful? To some, these surroundings are just part of the landscape. But to those with their eyes open, these little glimpses of beauty call out to them and give hope and joy when they need it most. I hope I can keep my eyes open to see beauty wherever it may be found, and remember that even in Sin City, God reveals beauty to those who are looking for it.