Finding the Sublime

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In my German class we have been learning about romanticism and the sublime. In romanticism, sublime means something that is beautiful, but terrifying and mysterious at the same time. It is the feeling you get when you are standing on a cliff peering over the edge. I feel like this is much the way life is sometimes. There is something sublime in the trials we go through, and something beautiful in the pain of a fallen world. This week I have come to understand and love the sublime as I have struggled.

Most of you probably already know the specifics of the difficulties I have had this past week, and I don't want to belabor the point. I just know that I have begun to learn not to ask God why somethings is happening, but rather "How can I learn wisdom from this?" and "How do I accomplish the things that thou hast commanded me to do?" There are a lot of troubles going around in the world, and these are my trials and temptations to bear. God will help me, but He isn't going to take it away yet because I need it. I need it to learn. And just like Jesus Christ didn't end the atonement before it was finished, I am not going to try to end my trials before my time is up. Jesus made it possible for us to follow his example and wait until "It is finished." He is there for us with complete understanding because he didn't give up. So, I won't either. And I want to find the beauty in each day, and the sublime in the suffering.

Picture credit: Wanderer uber dem Nebelmeer by Caspar David Friedrich

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