August 26th, 2005

[.se3ker.]

We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

-2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV)

MY cousin, an artist, once painted a picture of Jesus as he appeared to his disciples after the Resurrection. The painting was wonderful. The disciples' faces and gestures showed a mix of shock and reverence; and Jesus was human, but somehow much more than human. Everyone who saw the painting was deeply moved.

Then my cousin said that she was going to redo parts of the picture. We pleaded with her not to, thinking she could only do it harm. But the result took our breath away. The painting was even better, the colors deeper and the picture more real.

Something similar can happen with us as we allow God to "redo" us. In the hands of God, Christians are not transformed from wretched to miserable and then from miserable to not-too-bad. Instead, each of us is being transformed "from glory to glory." Glory is not reserved for us in heaven; God gives us glory here and today.

Bob La Forge (New Jersey, U.S.A.)

Prayer:

When we think that we are worthless and unimportant, God, remind us that you have made us to be glorious. Amen.