Growing up in the Catholic church one thing I always remembered and appreciated was the beautiful churches we attended. They looked imperial, with amazing stories woven in the walls and vaulted ceilings. But the one thing that always caught my eye was the classic stained-glass windows. When the sunlight shined through the panes of the glass a beautiful picture appeared and let out a mosaic symphony of colorful praise portraying parables and some of our great heroes from the Bible—most often Jesus. It was just glorious.
But have you ever looked
through those same stained-glass windows at night? You don't see
much. You might be able to catch a glimpse of each outline, but that
is all.
The process to creating
stained glass windows is quite painstaking, and involves soldering
together individual panels of stained glass, sometimes in the
hundreds. The pieces of stained glass are cut into various shapes and
arranged, and the Artisan must have a good idea for how the window
will look and feel when it is complete. The pieces are slowly
attached to one another and then confined into a larger frame which
will hold the window rigidly in place once it has been installed.
Did you know that our
lives are like those stained-glass windows? Before we walked with
Jesus, our windows [lives] were dark. But when we came to know our
Saviour [the artisan], His light pierced through within each of His
children and a beautiful picture appears with such brightness. He
took the many broken pieces of our heart and soldered it together to
create His version of beautiful. As we continue to grow in Christ,
His light brightens, and our life's testimonies shine forth a rising
beauty that intensifies through every test to testimony.
Can the people around you
attest to the light shining through your life, especially when the
storms hit?
When they look at your
life do they see evidence that the Holy Spirit dwells inside, or has
your sin and self-righteous heart created a soiled fabric that
hangs, blocking His light from your witness?
Can they catch a glimpse
of God's footprint's in your day-to-day conversations with your
children, spouse, mother, or sister, friends. . . maybe even a
stranger?
As we allow Jesus Christ
to direct our marriages, our families, our relationships, and our
lives, the result is a light that shines with such increasing power
that every window around enlivens displaying a foretaste of what
Heaven will look like.
Today, determine that you
will live in God's brightness and reflect the Light in your life—that
those around you will clearly see the testimony of your faith every
moment they are in your presence.
The
path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light
of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it
reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be
prepared] (Proverbs 4:18).
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