Glimpses of Glory
Glimpses of Glory
There are those moments, the kind that at first glance seem mundane. Just a cluster of seconds strung together to form minutes, you know like they do. But in the blink of an eye those simple and seemingly unimportant moments became saturated with something significant. A glimpse into something other, transcendent and ethereal. I’ve heard them termed the “thin places” where heaven reaches down and mingles with earth. Glimpses of His glory reflected in the most obscure and surprising of places. He is there, just beneath the surface but only eyes alert and attuned will find Him.
“The whole earth is filled with His glory” the angels sing so it must be true. I’ve decided I’m going on a hunt. Seek and ye shall find I’ve read so I’m going to seek. This week I’m asking, “where is His glory?” and with eyes open wide I know I’m going to catch a glimpse.
Day 1
The two sat perched, one on each leg, equally consuming my lap. The warmth of their bodies seeped out from every pore filling this cold January night with warmth. I glance down and notice the sweet boys chubby mini-man fingers curled around my pointer finger. Her curls brush against my cheek and I breath in deep. The blond locks of a little girl that once only existed in my dreams now rest on her shoulders, a reality I still have to pinch myself to believe. It’s the same book we’ve read countless other nights but it captures their imaginations with the same fervor. And He is there too. His glory beams from this quiet and quaint bedtime moment that is so utterly routine and yet now, so fantastically not.
Day 2
It’s Sunday evening and the room is filled with old friends and new. It’s church so some things are the same. We sit in pews, we sing songs, the handsome preacher (my husband) brings a fresh word. It’s a sacred rhythm comprised of those same simple elements that have filled the walls of the church for thousands of years. We gather, we worship, we connect, we know and are known.
There is great peace in that rhythm, and yet there is profound power as well. The air is heavy with something, something we cannot grasp, it’s not tangible, but there’s no denying it’s real. I know it, and they know it too. He is there. In our bones, we know it. In that space, His holy church gathers, we pause and discover a glimpse of His glory.
Day 3
Up just barely before the rest of the house makes it’s chaotic appearance I sleepily stumbled to the kitchen. Pulled open the freezer door, grabbed the lunch bags, and the well rehearsed morning routine began once again. Mid sandwhich grab I spy a burst of beautiful color out of the corner of my eye and it can’t help but capture my attention. It’s seeping through the front window and something about it’s enticing embrace drams me further in. I peer out and just beyond the dark shadows of trees and houses lies the wonder of a new day dawning. Each morning a blank canvas awaiting His inspiration. The sky illuminates with His brilliant paint strokes and I gaze in awe of the beautiful results. In this quiet and serene moment before the day unleashes all it has I find evidence of HIs glory. Today, I’m reminded, is a day that He has made so I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Day 4
They squeal with excitement. They are the ones hand selected to join me in the grocery story. If only these were the things that made me jump for joy. The doors slide open in response to our feet and the older one turns to the younger, “let’s hold hands.” In unison with his request he takes a hold of his brothers hand and they skip forward in delight. Whatever grocery store adventures lie ahead, they will conquer them together.
And I know these days are numbered. All too son they’ll be fighting over whose turn it is to drive the car and there’ll be a thousand reasons to not hold hands. But for now, I treasure the present moment and seek to uncover the gifts this particular season wishes to deliver. And in the watching are glimpses of the Glory.
Day 5
A collection of books opened, sprawled and making their temporary home on my kitchen table. I hunch over my computer, hands poised and heart ready for what will unfold. This is my afternoon respite. My post lunch refresher. I’ve crafted a plan, chosen a direction, but exactly what comes out remains unknown,
This is my happy place. When I’m here I feel strangely whole. It’s in this space I come alive. Giving myself to the one thing I am quite certain I was created to do, there’s not much that compares. It’s where purpose gives birth to peace, the kind that breads try and lasting soul rest.
And He is there. There is no this without HIm. Because at the center of every moment saturated with meaning and wholeness He resides. In this place, I glimpse His glory.
The whole earth is filled with His glory, so I’ll watch out for it and when I find it, I’ll rest there for a while and soak it all in.