The beauty of the earth, in all its intricacies, is a gift of the creator to us. And its value is not practical or ethical, but is given to us simply to delight us even as God delights in it. And it is powerful. N. T. Wright notes that beauty, whether in God’s creation or in human art, “is sometimes so powerful that it evokes our very deepest feelings of awe, wonder, gratitude, and reverence.”1 Beauty blossoms into appreciation for God’s creation and love of the creator
