{"id":3180,"date":"2012-10-16T15:44:59","date_gmt":"2012-10-16T19:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=3180"},"modified":"2012-10-16T15:44:59","modified_gmt":"2012-10-16T19:44:59","slug":"reflecting-the-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/10\/reflecting-the-glory.html","title":{"rendered":"Reflecting the glory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Often, as I’m preparing for bed, I listen to the Bible. \u00a0Last evening, as I put away some shirts and listened to II Corinthians 3, I was struck by the last verses. \u00a0When I say struck, I mean it. \u00a0It was as though the Holy Spirit whacked me on the back and said, “Girl, did you hear what I just said to you?”<\/p>\n

Sitting down the clothes that were destined for the closet, I quickly, picked up the iPad to hear the verses again…then again and again. \u00a0I’m not sure how many times I listened. Fascinated, I wanted to grasped what the Lord desired for me to understand.<\/p>\n

17\u00a0<\/em>The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.\u00a018\u00a0<\/em>Our faces, then, are not covered. We all show the Lord\u2019s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>Remember the Old Testament story regarding Moses’ transformation when He was on the mountain with the Lord. \u00a0He face glowed. \u00a0Moses put a veil over his face so that the people could not see the glory of the Lord. \u00a0Later, he kept the veil because he didn’t want the people to see the glory as it faded. \u00a0I was transfixed by verse 18. \u00a0It was clear that God was saying that the Lord’s glory now shines through us.<\/p>\n

However, He goes further. \u00a0He says that we are being changed to be like him, and these changes bring ever greater glory. \u00a0My mother was a dynamic Christian. \u00a0As a young mother, I realized that people weren’t in her presence long before you recognized that there was something very different about this person. \u00a0Because Frances was my mother, it was difficult to see that she was any different than another person. \u00a0But it was never hard to recognize the remarkable effect she had on others during her later years.<\/p>\n

I see the same glow in Christy who is blind and does not walk. \u00a0The radiance of the Lord is evident on tall and lanky Eric as he ambles into the room eager to begin Special Gathering choir or anxious to help set up the sound equipment. \u00a0This glow cannot be faked or imitated. \u00a0It cannot be earned because it is a reflection of God’s glory shining through the eyes and actions of his people.<\/p>\n

While this great promise has been taught, I must confess that I never took it personally until I was almost physically struck down by the Lord. \u00a0“This is your promise,” I understood the Father to say to me. \u00a0His reasurance was particularly comforting to me because I’ve recently found it necessary to face some ugly flaws in my character. \u00a0Almost overcome by the accusations coming from the enemy of our souls, I’ve wondered how I could have known the Lord all these decades and still miss the blatant contractions in my character.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Holy Spirit wasn’t excusing bad behavior; but He was not leaving me hanging on a clothes line being beaten by the wind, either. \u00a0I knew He was say, Yeah, there is a lot of work to be done but as you look to me, I will continue to change you into my image. \u00a0You are becoming more like me. <\/em>\u00a0I praise God that He is doing the transforming work and my job is simply to obey and seek his face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Often, as I’m preparing for bed, I listen to the Bible. \u00a0Last evening, as I put away some shirts and listened to II Corinthians 3, I was struck by the last verses. \u00a0When I say struck, I mean it. \u00a0It was as though the Holy Spirit whacked me on the back and said, “Girl, did…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,40,186,49,16,4,41],"tags":[690,21,688,7,699,715,701,694,689,57,550,6,700],"class_list":["post-3180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-prayer","tag-reflecting-gods-glory","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nReflecting the glory - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reflecting the glory - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Often, as I’m preparing for bed, I listen to the Bible. \u00a0Last evening, as I put away some shirts and listened to II Corinthians 3, I was struck by the last verses. \u00a0When I say struck, I mean it. \u00a0It was as though the Holy Spirit whacked me on the back and said, “Girl, did…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/10\/reflecting-the-glory.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-10-16T19:44:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2012\/10\/preparing-for-bed.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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