Glory was the name of the first My Little Pony given to me. I loved her. She was different because she was a unicorn. I also loved the shooting star tattooed on her butt. She made numerous visits to Olivet Elementary School, taking a tumble down the slide and dropped often in the dirt.
Glory. She is buried in my mom’s basement somewhere now. Her white plastic skin is dirtied from her visits to multiple playgrounds and spending years in the basement. The last time I saw her, she was actually turning yellow. And I still hang on to her as if I would lose my childhood memories if she were to end up in the trash. Yuck. It makes me sick to think of parting with all of the toys I still have.
Glory…I use that word a lot. I use it when I remind myself and others to glorify the Lord. Chuck Hill asked me an interesting question last weekend: what does it mean to glorify God?
Well, that’s simple…except in that moment there was no way I could explain it. He pointed out it is a term Christians throw around a lot but cannot actually define. So, I went to Dictionary.com to find out about this word glory.
Glory
1.
very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown: to win glory on the field of battle.
2.
something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride: a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.
3.
adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving: Give glory to God.
4.
resplendent beauty or magnificence: the glory of autumn.
5.
a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.
6.
a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc.: She was in her glory when her horse won the Derby.
7.
the splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.
8.
a ring, circle, or surrounding radiance of light represented about the head or the whole figure of a sacred person, as Christ or a saint; a halo, nimbus, or aureole.
Chuck also offered an analogy. He said, “think of Denny, Joey’s father. Denny is at the store or somewhere running an errand and he runs into someone he knows. ‘Hey! I saw your son the other day. He was mowing the lawn for my elderly neighbor.’ Denny smiles proudly, thinking of his son who has grown into a servant of all people.”
Bringing glory does not equal doing work to please the Lord. Just as easily, the person could have told Joey’s father that he had been at a party where there was a bunch of disorderly conduct, debauchery, drunkenness, etc. but Joey didn’t take a part in any of this…because Joey didn’t want to bring shame to his father’s name.
I have more thoughts on this topic of glory but my point is that I want to understand it instead of just saying it. Joey and I often say to each “remember your reputation is not your own.” The people who know I follow Christ might have some serious questions if I was shacking up with my boyfriend, doing drugs, slandering my neighbor. Instead, I want their question to be “why don’t you do these things?” (keep in mind I still struggle in a very human way).
Because of God. I want to bring glory (honor, praise, thanksgiving, magnificence, splendor) to my Lord. It is not always easy to keep this top of mind but it is there in everything I do. Even when I sin, turn my back on what I knowingly should do, the presence of God (Holy Spirit) is on my mind. My purpose is to glorify the Lord, blame Him for the good things.
Glory. She is buried in my mom’s basement somewhere now. Her white plastic skin is dirtied from her visits to multiple playgrounds and spending years in the basement. The last time I saw her, she was actually turning yellow. And I still hang on to her as if I would lose my childhood memories if she were to end up in the trash. Yuck. It makes me sick to think of parting with all of the toys I still have.
Glory…I use that word a lot. I use it when I remind myself and others to glorify the Lord. Chuck Hill asked me an interesting question last weekend: what does it mean to glorify God?
Well, that’s simple…except in that moment there was no way I could explain it. He pointed out it is a term Christians throw around a lot but cannot actually define. So, I went to Dictionary.com to find out about this word glory.
Glory
1.
very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown: to win glory on the field of battle.
2.
something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride: a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.
3.
adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving: Give glory to God.
4.
resplendent beauty or magnificence: the glory of autumn.
5.
a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.
6.
a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc.: She was in her glory when her horse won the Derby.
7.
the splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.
8.
a ring, circle, or surrounding radiance of light represented about the head or the whole figure of a sacred person, as Christ or a saint; a halo, nimbus, or aureole.
Chuck also offered an analogy. He said, “think of Denny, Joey’s father. Denny is at the store or somewhere running an errand and he runs into someone he knows. ‘Hey! I saw your son the other day. He was mowing the lawn for my elderly neighbor.’ Denny smiles proudly, thinking of his son who has grown into a servant of all people.”
Bringing glory does not equal doing work to please the Lord. Just as easily, the person could have told Joey’s father that he had been at a party where there was a bunch of disorderly conduct, debauchery, drunkenness, etc. but Joey didn’t take a part in any of this…because Joey didn’t want to bring shame to his father’s name.
I have more thoughts on this topic of glory but my point is that I want to understand it instead of just saying it. Joey and I often say to each “remember your reputation is not your own.” The people who know I follow Christ might have some serious questions if I was shacking up with my boyfriend, doing drugs, slandering my neighbor. Instead, I want their question to be “why don’t you do these things?” (keep in mind I still struggle in a very human way).
Because of God. I want to bring glory (honor, praise, thanksgiving, magnificence, splendor) to my Lord. It is not always easy to keep this top of mind but it is there in everything I do. Even when I sin, turn my back on what I knowingly should do, the presence of God (Holy Spirit) is on my mind. My purpose is to glorify the Lord, blame Him for the good things.
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