God’s Radiance
Blog – 7-25-18
Yesterday I had nothing on my schedule – nothing! No appointments to race off to, no meetings to attend, no co-writes scheduled, no coaching clients. It was a day I could work in my office the entire day.
Because of that, I took the opportunity to do my devotions outside and linger in His word longer than usual. And I have to say, there is something almost magical about beautiful summer mornings. As I sat in my chair with my tea and my bible, the sound of the birds surrounded me. They were calling out from every different direction, each singing their own unique song. Their chorus seemed to rise and fall in intensity, and it was absolutely gorgeous. It felt like somehow God was singing me a beautiful love song.
Then I noticed how the sunlight touches the earth so differently in the morning. The flowers on my deck seemed to be on fire, and the earth seemed vibrant and alive.
I also noticed how the morning air felt cool and refreshing as it seemed to burst with possibility.
I opened my bible and found myself in the first verse of Hebrews. As I read Hebrews 1:3, the words leapt off the page:
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
I was witnessing the “radiance of God’s glory” right there at that very moment! These words in Hebrews were exactly what my spirit was thinking but didn’t know how to say. My senses were heightened and my soul was stirred by the simple radiance of the song of the birds, the smell of the fresh air, the coolness of the morning.
God was everywhere in my back yard!
How often do we miss His radiance?
Most of us, including me, miss it a lot. We miss it in our schedules. We miss it in our wanting. We miss it in our striving. We miss it in our doubting. We miss it in our worry. We miss it in our fear.
We miss it, and our spirits suffer because of it.
I’m a big dreamer kind of gal, an adrenalin junkie, a “live large” kind of person, and I love finding God in the big, momentous things. Things like beautiful chapels, majestic mountains, surreal sunsets. Those things are glorious and take our breath away. I love them!
But I’m learning at a deeper and deeper level that God’s radiance and His glory are alive and ready to be admired in the ordinary moments even more. Moments that can be easy to miss. God is vibrantly alive in all areas of our lives, even the hard things.
God is doing a mighty work this summer in my heart, helping me see His radiance and His glory in new ways. It’s been somewhat of an odd summer for me, truthfully. My spirit has felt very worn down, tired. I haven’t liked the emptiness I have felt at times, the feelings of isolation, the sense of unease that has crept into my soul. God has called me into a season of reflecting on my career and my life, a season when I have felt more questions than answers.
But one thing is sure, I know in my core that God is drawing me closer and closer to Him. He’s showing me over and over that He is there in the everyday, simple, barely noticeable things. I don’t have to wait to find Him in the big, momentous moments. He’s just as present in the struggle. In the waiting. In the not yet. In the mundane.
The verse above also says, “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Oh, what beautiful truth that is, my friend! God’s word sustains us and invigorates our souls when we drink it in and let it settle in our hearts.
His word assures us that His radiance is there around you; but can I ask, have you seen it lately? Truthfully, have you felt it in your soul? Has it moved your spirit?
If you’ve been feeling a little stuck lately like I have, tomorrow morning get up a little earlier than normal and listen to the song of the birds. Notice how the light touches the earth. Breath in the cool morning air.
I invite you to go on the lookout for radiance, breath it in, linger with it, and then share it with others.
God’s radiance is waiting!
Hugs and love,
Jill
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