This I Know

A Reflection of Glory

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.




         I am in my back yard this morning. I watching my 1 1/2 year old son playing. He is in and out of his little wading pool. He is having the best time. We have been at this for about 30 minutes. I am ready to go in. I have a list of things going through my mind: laundry to be done, errands to run. I need a shower. I am gently reminded of the book I have been reading. A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman. In it I have been reading how we are created to glorify God in a million little ways. And that everything is created to reveal God's glory. She reminded me to take time and to stop and be aware of life around me. So I sit down on the brick steps and just soak in Gods glory around me.

       My son laughs and splashes around. The water droplets make designs on the concrete porch. He picks up sticks and leaves and adds them to his pool. He loves the way the sticks feel.

       I am still for a little while longer. I am watching the glory of God revealed before me. Our back yard backs up to the woods. The sun is shining through all the trees. Some leaves are bright with the suns reflection. Others are dark and still hiding in the shadows. The breezes gives a coolness and rustles the leaves. Its very warm out but it is nice. I hear the locust humming in the trees. I notice the blades of grass that shoot up from the earth, and a tiny bug that is crawling by. My son would like to pick that up and add to his collection too. He notices everything and everything is brilliant to his little mind. The Lord is here. He is all around us. Revealing himself through all of these things.

       

Ephesians 2:10 "We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advanced for us to do."

    God created me and you too. We are His masterpiece, his workmanship. He works and moves thru us because that's how he created us. In Christ we bear His image so that He may be revealed to the world. How are you allowing Him to be revealed through you today?

     Maybe you are a teaching a classroom full of students, maybe you have the gift of singing and you are allowing God to shine thru your voice. Maybe you play a musical instrument or you draw really well. Maybe you smiled at someone today and didn't know that is exactly what they needed. Maybe you used kind words to encourage someone. Maybe you helped someone. Maybe you prayed for someone. I firmly believe that the Lord reveals himself thru all of us everyday just to give us a glimpse of who He is. Maybe we are unaware of it. But what if we walked around fully aware of it. How would this change your focus? How would you look at nature? How would you treat the person at the grocery store? Would it cause you to slow down?

    I am also so sure of this: When we allow the Lord to shine his glory through us...we become less and He becomes more. Suddenly there is little room for anger. No room for greed. No room for un-forgiveness. No room for selfishness. No room for bitterness. 

    So maybe today you will slow down and see the Lord in a way that you haven't before. The breeze,  the smile, the hug, the birds, the color of the sky, an open parking space that's close. Wait for it. Watch for it. The Lord God is with you, for you and works through you. He is working through you friend. He does not have to use us in this way but chooses too. Praise Him!

Splash around. Laugh. The glory of the Lord is being revealed.