His Reflection

I saw the most beautiful full moon at 6 AM on Friday as I was driving to work.

It was incredibly huge and bright. But the moon itself wasn't light. It was merely reflecting light from the sun (elementary school science class did teach me something). It was doing a really great job of this on Friday.

Ironically I was listening to a song called "Your Glory" by All Sons & Daughters (check out this incredible video!). Here are the lyrics:

My life is Yours
My hope is in You only
My heart You hold
'Cause You made this sinner holy
Holy, holy

chorus:
Your glory is so beautiful
I fall onto my knees in awe
And the heartbeat of my life
Is to worship in Your light
'Cause Your glory is so beautiful
Your glory is so beautiful

bridge:
glory, glory
Hallelujah
Jesus, You are good

I put it on repeat, loving the line "and the heartbeat of my life is to worship in your light."

We reflect God's light. Just like the moon reflects the sun.

It's what Jesus did. In Colossians 1:15 Paul tells us "He is the image of the invisible God." In their Inductive Study book That I May Know Him, Kay Arthur and David Lawson write, "The Greek word image is eikon. It was used in classical Greek literature to describe the sun reflecting in a pool of water. In other words, Christ mirrors God for us. In Greek thought, the image shared reality with what it represents."

I thanked God for the physical display of beauty before me that morning, reminding me of who I am in Him.

I have life and light through Christ.

Colossians 3:1-4

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is...for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with Him in glory."

On Friday the moon seemed to be perfectly reflecting the sun's light. What a beautiful way of pulling together His scripture with the sweet lyrics of the song. Something only my Father could do.

Because His glory is so beautiful.

Silence Is Golden

It's been awhile, I know.

I'm not sure if anyone missed reading, but I sure missed writing.

I didn't exactly plan it that way, but sometimes when there is so much happening in a brain and heart, it can be hard to know how to express it. Truth is, there is always something running through my mind. It's often hard for this little internal processor to shut things down, so if you thought the silence was for lack of mental angst, you'd be sorely mistaken.

It may take months or even years for the last 6 months' growth to make it to the screen. What have I been up to, you might ask?

It's best summed up in Andy Stanley's sermon from a series You'll Be Glad You Did entitled "Part 2: Get Out, Stay Out, & Clean Out." I highly recommend taking a listen, especially for all you singles out there. He spells out three things to focus on: get out of debt, stay out of bed, clean out your (emotional) closet.

My roommate passed along the sermon at a time when the encouragement was paramount. It'd been about a month and a half into the new year, the year of "hope infusion."

I'd been working on some things, particularly getting out of debt and cleaning out my closet, investing a lot of time and money, even more head and heart. A little bit struggling to maintain an attitude that it was OK to be in a place that felt incredibly selfish. And Andy's words hit me like a direct line from God saying "Daughter, you are exactly where you need to be. Keep walking, keep sowing, keep trusting."

The message was so encouraging, in fact, that I proceeded to listen to it two more times. Just to reinforce what I'd heard. Proof it's easier for me to pour out than to get poured into...but I'm learning a healthier balance of that in my life.

After a strong kick in the butt from this lovely lady (who is now DEBT-FREE!), and a ridiculously strong God-prompt in January, I enrolled in a 9-week course about finances. Ugh. It's not at all what I wanted to do. Several months ago I recall a conversation with another debt-free friend, carrying on as if my student loans were no big deal, that they weren't truly impacting my life, and would be paid off "someday." Straight up lies I told myself in my ignorance. I can say with gratefulness, this past Monday my roommate and I graduated from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University!

And I'm gonna brag just a little bit and say we weren't just any students. We were stellar. No half-in, half-out for us. It was full on. Budget forms, and homework, and reading, and insurance appointments, and phone calls, and more budgeting, and cash envelopes, and class time, and more phone calls, and more budgeting, whew! A whole whopping heck of a lot of learning. And by the grace of God, I hope to be debt-free by the time I turn 30.

I absolutely cannot wait for the day. These student loans will no longer own me. Jesus died for our freedom. So I am going to live free. I'm currently a slave...

But I'm now a dangerous slave with knowledge and gazelle intensity. Plotting her course to true freedom. Covered in His armor, offensively walking in grace with Christ in this world.

Absolutely humbling.

And absolutely grateful that He is "the hand that reaches down to save."

Check out All Sons & Daughters' "I Am Set Free" and while you're at it, go ahead and let the lyrics get stuck in your head. I guarantee your attitude will change as the Scriptural truth sinks deeper with each step you take.

May He continue to mend our lives with His holy fire.