“And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.”
How good is God?
God is so good that he created the world to be enjoyed. If trees were simply "good for food" that would tell us that God has a utilitarian bent. It would tell us that things have value because they serve a functional purpose. But trees were created to be "pleasant to the sight." They have aesthetic value too.
This is important!
We live in a utilitarian world. We measure stocks by their performance, companies by their performance, and people by their performance. Function reigns!
Performance is important, but it is not all-important. Because God made trees that are "pleasant to the sight," beauty, texture, form, color, and taste are also important.
So we make art!
We tell stories. We dab paint on canvas. We let the rhyme and rhythm of lyrics tango with melodic notes to create songs that move our souls.
We enjoy beauty
We gape at the majesty of the fireball creeping over the horizon. We relish the sight of the Oak's green leaves against the deep sky blue. We sigh in deep satisfaction as we watch the day end in a kaleidoscope of colors. We laugh at jokes. We take pictures. We smile at a child's smile. We enjoy fabrics and colors and aromas and the feel of wood and the crack of the bat and athlete's poise and the beauty of . . . .
Because God made "every tree that is pleasant to the sight."
How good is God!