On the Simplicity of Beauty

Verses:

Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Thoughts:

It can sometimes be easy to mistake complexity and emotional expression for beauty. But, true beauty often at its most basic root has an unassuming simpleness, a foundation of simple truth and goodness. 

Complexity can be beautiful, but it is not beauty itself. Sometimes I can fall into the trap of thinking, "It has so much happening that surely it looks good, right?" But, oftentimes when there is so much added detail, it is distracting us from what is actually going on. We miss how ugly the picture is because we are wrapped up in its minutia. 

This is arguably why being surrounded by constant stimuli like social media is so dreadful for the mind. We are constantly told “LOOK AT THIS!” Marketing people study how to catch your attention and hold it. They look at how to cause dopamine. This honestly makes sense, and you can’t blame them for wanting to make eye-catching ads. But, because so much of media is propounded with this type of dopamine drug, our brain loses track of what we really should be paying attention to. 

I argue complexity is not the answer. Goodness and beauty are often based in the simple. In how something can be portrayed with simple words and simple shapes, or built upon those simple truths.

For example, to create a beautiful painting, the traditional artist will first block out the shadow shapes. They will break down the entire landscape, person, or thing, into two distinct shapes: the light shapes, and the dark shapes. This type of process creates an artwork that is lovely, it can be complex, but it has grown out of the simple shapes of light and darkness.

Another example that ties in is the way God created the interaction of the sun and earth. It draws out the nature of the object - its color, its shape. But, it also tells our eyes what to focus on.

Secondly, sole, unfiltered expression does not mean it is beautiful. We as fallen creatures have fallen emotions and desires at times. I do think that sometimes presbyterian Christians can negate the importance of feelings for the need of raw logic. But, this is falling into the opposite side of the ditch. Emotions are part of what makes us humans. Feelings, expressions of who you are, are not wrong in and of themselves. You want to be, well, you. But, not “sinful” you.

Here’s what I mean: don’t rejoice and express that which is sinful. Don’t indulge in your sinful desires and say, “well that’s just me.” That’s just “all of us,” but that doesn’t make it good or lovely. Is the serial killer beautiful when he expresses his desire for death? This is an extreme example, but it shows how sole expression of fallen desires can be horrid.

That which is truly beautiful has an air of vastness, but also of stunning simplicity. The laugh of a child. A dance with a lover. The petals of a flower. These things are so lovely, yet simple. 

Our great God is vast, incomprehensible. Yet His goodness and love, the beautiful story that He has written in history, the story of our salvation, is so simple that even a young child may understand it. 

Ask Yourself: What do I think is beautiful? Why?

#27

21 Nov 2025