reflection
We are called to reflect God’s glory.
Have you ever seen a body of water that’s so still and smooth, it looks like glass? I have; it’s pristine, beautiful, peaceful. And it perfectly reflects the sky above it and landscape around it, like a mirror.
That’s the image I’ve always had when I think about my life reflecting the glory of God. But the problem is that I rarely feel like a smooth, glassy lake. My life—my heart—is much more tumultuous than that.
And then I realized something: God can miraculously use even the stormy sea of my life to reflect His glory.
He’s not waiting for all the conditions to be perfect, for me to be smooth and ripple-free, or for the rhythmic waves of my life to cease. Nope. In fact, He gets even more glory when I reflect Him amid the strong currents and perfect-storm waves.
That means being able to pray things like —
“In the midst of this sorrow and grief, position me to reflect as much of Your glory as possible.”
“If You can get glory from my sickness, then go ahead and do it.”
“Be glorified in me right in the midst of this situation and not just in my deliverance from it.”
I’m working hard to get my heart to a place where I can do that. Where I can pray it, believe it, mean it. This much I know is true: God can leverage anything for His glory if I will surrender it to Him.
fo sho
@ventigrace says:
I’m so ripply right now… and I so needed to hear this- because as you well know… I’m ready for the smooth lake kind of life rather than all the big waves…
If only I can muster the courage and faith in my heart to utter the types of prayers you wrote above…
i always long for the smooth lake kind of life, too. but i don’t think i will ever have that. don’t think any of us ever really will. which kind of gives me a pit-in-my-stomach feeling, like “really? this is all there is?”
i’m trying to muster the courage and faith to pray those prayers, too…
@atangie says:
Hmmm… I like this…
Ok – I don’t know any time in my life, or in the lives of people I know for that matter, that have been the perfectly still you eloquently describe here. To be truthful there was a time in my life that I wanted ripple-free living. But now not so much. Though I do long for the day when my life will perfectly reflect his glory.
Going with your analogy I think of it this way. A body of water so still looks almost lifeless. Well, so we could say that when we are free from this mortal life and enter into eternal glory, in our glorified bodies, we will perfectly reflect his glory. That is Christ in us the hope of glory.
Good stuff woman – you are very wise.
mmm… thanks, gigi!
@atangie says:
You are more than welcome, my dear.
@danielleH says:
that’s good.
if I will surrender it to Him
Alece, thank you for this post.
I so want to surrender my ALL to Him. Let us all pray for one another that we will do just that. That we will be harnessed by the bridle of the Holy Spirit as God releases through us His resurrection power. Lord, just help me to be a little bit more obedient today…….
Good post, Alece. My sister and I were just conversing about this idea. I love that our lives don’t have to be perfect for Him to use them to His glory. It’s a good thing, otherwise He’d be fresh out of lives to use …
therealstorie — that “if” is huge for me, too. i’m praying for you today, and i sure appreciate your prayers for me!
annie — ’tis true!
@cassgirl says:
Glory of God…..
Wow …
Prayer…..
Were you with me in SD this weekend?
I wrote a poem Saturday night after a 24 hour prayer we had at our church. It’s on the blog..
______________________________
Alece, I find it difficult to get to this place. Although I wonder if God enjoys the ripples. Because it stirs us to get up and pray and BELIEVE in our Holy faith. It’s tough at times, but I keep at it one moment at a time.
Prayin and lovin ya!!!
Josh Chana told us for one whole month: “moon the world” and it stuck with me…That was several years ago.
I liked this. I can’t say that I pray like that either, at least not consistently. I feel like I grab things back from Him that I surrender sometimes.
“He’s not waiting for conditions to be perfect.”
Amen.
this made me think of when Jesus walked on water. it wasn’t smooth glassy sea time. more like crashing waves and horrid storm conditions, yet He came anyway.
wow. really my life the last few weeks has seemed at times like i was purposefully rowing my boat out into the waves and getting myself stranded out there somewhere. but He didn’t leave me for one minute. when we have Jesus we can walk on the tops of the worst waves as if they were glass. as i look back on my life the sins i remember and hold myself accountable for, when i bring them to Jesus again and again, He just keeps telling me, “no matter what you have done, im going to write your story my way. so im not going to remember those now, forgiven sins. i’ll write your life, like they never happened.”
heidi — i’ll definitely check out your blog! i am hoping to have some time this week to get all caught up! it’s gonna take a while… thanks for the prayers.
becca — i remember their “moon the world” talk. that was good stuff. and i’m an indian giver with god, too. more than i like to admit. and those prayers are unbelivably hard for me to pray. i’m trying … i’m trying …
hannah — good connection there. and i loved what you wrote at the end. so true. god has peace (shalom) and restoration (shalim) for us — nothing broken. nothing missing. as if it never happened.
mandy — all that “new post please” business on my “a special moment” post… and this was here all along… and you didn’t even comment! c’mon, girl!
I have this scripture on my myspace page, when you see my other comment.. check it out.. I should of put it bold, but it is in the who I want to meet section, I think. :)
such a good verse, isn’t it?
(your kiddos are so cute!)
Thanks, I think so too. ;)