When our Best isn't Good Enough, Pt. 4

High in southwestern Montana, stretching into the northwest corner of Wyoming, are many sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The Teton and Wind River Ranges in Wyoming rise dramatically, showcasing some of the most stunning natural beauty in the United States. Nearby, the Absarokas stand tall to the Northeast. Further north and east, straddling the border between Montana and Wyoming, are the Beartooth Mountains, an impressive range in its own right. Driving up Beartooth Pass, one can feel like they're entering another world. In a sense, they are, as they enter the alpine tundra. Trees are either stunted or gone entirely at this altitude. Wind blows fiercely, and snow lasts well into the summer. It is a place of extremes—extreme challenges and extreme beauty.

My friend and I made our way up there on my first full day in Montana. After searching one area for wildflowers to no avail, we headed into the high mountains of the Beartooths.

Struggling to find a place to photograph, we opted to trudge down to a lake and hope for the best.

We circled the lake looking for compositions, but the light and clouds didn't cooperate. As for me, I was still a bit rusty. Still, we shot a few scenes and waited for the sun to lower. Feeling a bit defeated photographically, I headed back to the car and waited for my friend. He was within sight; no worries about bears. I was just done. That is, until I looked to the east and saw some clouds forming. As they grew, they began to catch some light. My friend made it back to the car, and we drove quickly, hoping for a better spot to catch the high clouds. We pulled into an overlook and walked out, doing our best to capture the quickly fading scene.

Color like this only lasts for moments, sometimes just seconds. Given this fact, we did the best we could. Still, it was beautiful.

Paul tells us, in Philippians 4:8, to think on certain things. Personally, I think that these help us understand a little bit of what beauty is.

Beauty is an interesting thing, and I think it's a reflection, though dim, of God. God is beautiful, and He creates beauty. But we can't look upon Him, not now anyway, not in His glory. The Bible tells us, however, that one day He will dwell with us. Whatever picture we have of beauty, more so, whatever picture we have in our mind of heaven, God, or the new creation, is inadequate at best.

Being in nature, I've seen a lot of beautiful places. However, I know they're no comparison to what is to come. And I know with my fallen eyes and mind, I can't understand or think about beauty perfectly.

I wonder, though, if beauty is more than just what we see? Is it more than that? Something to ponder.

What we consider beautiful is just a glimpse of our future inheritance.

Our best thoughts about beauty, even when informed by Scripture, are not good enough to describe the coming new heavens and earth. John describes our future habitation, but until we see it with our own glorified eyes, we can't possibly know the fulness of it.

We can be informed by Scripture, though, and so we can know what God intends for us to know about it. It will be a place of true beauty, a place of sustenance, a place of peace, a place without sorrow, a place without sin, a place where we will serve God, and a place where God dwells with His people forever (Revelation 21:1-22:9). This gives us hope and joy as we endure the trials of this life.

Often the most beautiful places in this world are difficult to get to. They require a lot of effort, struggle, and pain. Even when we do see them, we experience them often for only a brief moment.

But heaven, the new creation, our future dwelling place, has been guaranteed to us not by our efforts, struggle, and pain, but by Christ's. And it isn't for only a brief moment, but for eternity.

At first, I would think seeing stunning clouds, like those in the Beartooths that night, would get old after a while (If such a thing were possible). But I know beholding the beauty of heaven will not be so. It will be something that we will never tire of.

Above all this, I want to remind you and me that the greatest beauty will be God Himself, and the gospel we will ponder for all eternity.

Why God would choose to save a wretch like me and bring me into His presence for eternity one day is beyond me.

But I am thankful that He has. And I am thankful that we get to experience brief glimpses into His beauty every day. And the next time you experience a fleeting moment, like stunning light on high clouds at sunset, let it remind you of the eternal beauty we will not only see, but dwell in the presence of, forever.