show me Your Glory

What a day!!! It's still Sunday for another hour or so. Many would say/sing, "this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." However, for some of us this is not a day to rejoice. This is a day to mourn. We recognize that this IS the day that God made. He designed it specifically for us, yet due to circumstances, situations, trauma, illness, etc., it simply is another day to sit with pain. No, no, not just an opinion, or a matter of perspective. This is not something that we can just resolve with a simple gratitude list or some banal platitude that we read on "insta".

In the midst of this shroud of pain, as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I remember.  I remember that we are walking through, passing through. We are not staying in that valley. The passage may be long. The terrain may be rugged and rough. It is frightening. It smells of death and decay.

 Yes, all of those things. BUT, we are NOT ALONE! It is in these moments that I have to consider the cross. (cf, John Lennox https://youtu.be/MPm6Y-pANYI) God, among all other gods, is the only One who, in response to our pain, made Himself vulnerable in every way. The Father experienced the pain of watching His Son traumatized, tortured, ridiculed, and murdered in the most humiliating way. The Son experienced it all in the flesh. He got to know our weaknesses, desires, pleasures, love. He even got to experience the joy of flatulence amongst friends. [C'mmon! You put 12 men together for longer than a night and the situation will surely end up in laughter at the prowess of our rectal functions. No, this is NOT HERESY! it is the reality of being on the mission.] Oh, let us not forget Holy Spirit, Who witnessed it all with compassion and empathy. That same Spirit of Wisdom continues to comfort, continues to heal and soothe our pain. That is at the core of considering the cross. Yes, it means pain and suffering YET it is HOPE!

So, today I rest in the arms of The One who understands my pain because They know it. They don't just know about it... They have lived it... They have felt it.

On a similar note, I had a conversation with one of my dearest and sweetest sister. She intimated that she was having a "moses moment", asking God to show her His glory. In the midst of her pain, she was asking God to show her His glory. In my spirit I sensed God giving her a mirror.

 That's right! We are His crowning moment of creation. He lovingly crafted us and declared us His "poiema". In the kingdom of God we are the pearl of great of value. We are His treasure. He gave it all, even emptied Himself, to have us near Him. That is who we are to Him, and in Him.

May we learn to rest confidently in the hope and assurance of His arms around us. Oh, sweet embrace of comfort and grace!