Frederickson Blog

Several years ago, my wife and I discovered how much we both loved being on the trails. On every hike we took, it seemed as if there was always a point when we would stop and simply gaze at the natural beauty that surrounded us. The sound of the breeze rustling through the trees, the jagged edges of the mountain ranges, and the active wildlife teeming on the trails—all of it was hard to fully take in, hard to describe and put into words. But what we could take in left us wanting more. If you have spent any amount of time outdoors here in the Pacific Northwest, you know the feeling I am talking about. 

Well, this is very similar to the way that David felt when he spent time in the presence of God in His temple. The beauty of His everlasting love, the confidence in His covenant faithfulness, and the safety of His protection was too much for David to take in. All he knew was that it was beautiful. And he wanted more of it:
 

“One thing I ask from the Lord,
   this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
   all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
   and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4, NIV)
 

Throughout the school year, we will be embarking on a journey together to seek God. Well, seeking God begins with laying eyes on Him in the same way we would lay eyes on Mt. Rainier if it was our destination on a backpacking trip. So, what does God look like? 

Over the course of the month of September, we will be showing our students that God is the very definition of beauty. His appearance is like the sun at full strength (Revelation 1:16). In fact, He is undefiled by sin and He is pure holiness (Revelation 4:8). We can see a glimpse of His beauty in the way that He created us and the natural order with matchless wisdom and discernment (Psalm 104:24-25). 

Through it all, we want to show our students that Jesus is the fullest expression of God’s beauty. While there was nothing physically attractive about Him (Isaiah 53:2), Jesus’ beauty lay in His humility to death on a cross, which ultimately led to the most beautiful event in history—the day that sin and death was defeated when He rose from the dead! 

Our prayer is that by gazing on God’s beauty, our students will be so awestruck by it that they will be compelled to seek more of it.