Versailles

It was 1682 when King Louis XIV officially moved the royal palace from Paris to Versailles, a former hunting lodge of the Kings before him. Versailles was a politically strategic ploy on Louis' part. The noble's of the day would come to Versailles at his beck and whim to entertain him, and so that the King could display his majesty. Louis showed them that he held the power, and wielded the wealth accompanied by that power.

I can't remember having ever seen a more beautiful construction made by man. Versailles soaring peaks are dripped in gold and statues of angels, kings and saints gone by. Everything had this cinematic quality as though I were walking through a movie set. Did royalty really live in such opulence? It's hard to imagine, harder still when I consider my tiny dorm room which I feel so blessed by.

Versailles is renowned by it's opulence. It's amazing- there's no doubt. It made me wonder what King Solomon's palace and the temple looked like in Biblical times. If Solomon's reign was so lucrative that silver was worthless, than surely is was even more extravagant than the home of past French kings. However, it was surprisingly underwhelming to me.
I think I had built it up to be this place of wonder in my mind after reading so many books about the people who had inhabited Versailles.

Turns out, it's just a beautiful building full of tourists and mirrors. An old, empty palace that echoes with the past but little future. MLK church is far more alive than that ornate building. I loved seeing Versailles, but my heart was still back at the church with the people I already feel at home with. Honestly, my favorite part of being in Versailles was seeing Beatrice, a lady from the church who accompanied us, singing and dancing down a stairway to an Hillsong worship song in English.

In retrospect, Marie Antoinette's little village, called "the queens hamlet," was quaint. I much preferred the rolling

countryside and the cottages in this area to the overwhelming presence of Versailles.

It's rumored that Marie Antoinette had it built to "play farmer" but according to Versailles own website, she had it built to relax. She wanted a place to get away, for life to be a little bit more simple and slow. It was actually a working farm, and she would often go there with her children.

I think beauty is a reflection of God.
It is why we long for beauty in every area of our lives. It's why girls love wearing pink sweaters and red lipstick, and it's why boys like girls.
It's why Versailles attracts millions of visitors, and it's why the

beauty industry rakes in money.

And while we look at the exterior first and the interior second, God does the opposite. His first concern is the condition of the heart. Not to say He doesn't concern himself with beauty-he did create it, after all! He created the stars, the oceans, and a newborn babies tiny toes.

After seeing something as grand as Versailles, I felt sad for the royals that lived and died for the sake of power. I wonder if they ever experienced true beauty. I think Marie Antoinette was looking for true beauty in her little hamlet. The kind of beauty that I am beginning to recognize more and more, the kind that comes from the inside and radiates outward. It's simple and sweet, and it doesn't threaten or condescend. That's the kind of beauty I want to display, that's the kind of beauty I want to esteem. Too much of church and life has been trying to impress people with our image of spirituality. It's time for us to be the Church who draws people in not by our image but by our love. That's truly beautiful.