Glorify

One morning, I was out for my jog, praying as I slogged along – that’s what I do while I jog to keep my mind off how miserable and sweaty and miserable I am – and I used the phrase “Father, I glorify You.” I stopped (mentally, not physically) and thought, “How do I glorify God? What does that even mean?” I turned the question over in my mind a while, but nothing happened to clarify the issue for me. I brought up the topic again on later jogs but each time to no avail.

Honestly, I had really forgotten about my thoughtful wanderings until something happened this past weekend that brought them blasting back to the forefront of my attention.

My sister got married last Saturday, and she gave me the honor of standing as one of their official witnesses to their marriage. (I just about signed the marriage certificate with my maiden name but caught myself just in time!) It was the morning of the wedding, and we were all together in a friend’s home getting ourselves ready, getting her ready, laughing and chatting and fighting nerves and watching the weather and doing all those sorts of things that women do on days like those. I had brought a steamer (a good investment when in lots of weddings, especially since I had found it at a garage sale – hooray for bargains!), and so the task had fallen to me to make sure the last stubborn wrinkles were erased from her dress.

I had my head under a layer of tulle, my hands busy coaxing a few last creases from the satiny under-layer, my mind filled with thoughts of how I would next do my hair and my makeup and how I would make sure the curls in the back looked ok even though I didn’t have a real good mirror and how I needed to hurry because I didn’t want to be that bridesmaid that was late and kept everyone waiting for pictures while I preened and how I was running short of time. (I tell you all this so you know that I really wasn’t looking for spiritual revelations or paying any particular attention to spirituality of any sort; I’m really just a normal person.) In the midst of all that mental clutter, with my head under the skirt of a wedding dress and with my sister sitting a few yards away getting her hair done, the word “Glorify” whispered through my mind.

And it made so much sense.

She was the bride, and we were all there to make sure that she was ready to meet her groom in another hour. She was the point. She was the one who needed to look really good. The rest of us were just there to draw his eyes to her. We were glorifying my sister.

Don’t you see, silly girl? That is what it looks like to glorify God.

He is the point.

Make Him look good.

Use your life, forget about how you look to others, and start worrying about how you make Him look to others.

Glorify Him.

Already/Not Yet

As my wedding day approaches, I've been trying hard not to be the obnoxious bride. You know the type. All they can talk about is their wedding. The only person who holds any interest is their fiance. They are constantly posting countdown pix on Facebook.

Ok, so maybe I am doing that last one.

Anyway, it's always been a bit of a mystery as to what drives those "almost-brides". As I find myself right in the midst of that state, I'm confused as to how to explain it.

After all, little girls dream of meeting their Prince Charming, of their wedding day, and of their family to follow. But nobody thinks about that stage when you've found Prince Charming, the wedding is in the works, but you're not there yet.

Which brings to mind that phrase from my Biblical Theology class, "already/not yet"; and things seemed to fall into place in my mind.

Think of marriage within its Biblical context: Christ and the church. Marriage - Christian or not - reflects the union of mankind to God within a reconciled relationship. Our marriage ceremony and celebration is to be a foretaste of the marriage supper of the Lamb, the ultimate celebration as God's people finally enjoy unfettered, unmasked life before the presence of the LORD.

So, if that's the case for the wedding ceremony and for the oneness of the following relationship, maybe (my thought process goes) there is something similarly significant hiding within the folds of this great analogy and my current relational status that could assist in my elucidation.

Let's see.

Wedding = the final coming of Christ.

Engagement = ?

Engagement is the time I get to plan for the wedding, to prepare myself and my possessions for the transition to his. I steam my dress, ready the flowers, set up the chapel . . . why? So things are in preparation for him and that day. My belongings are scattered haphazardly between his home and my parents' as I get ready for a change in location, some of them preceding me, some to accompany me later.

Isn't this a reflection (or is it a dim glimpse of future things?) of this time in the Church's history?

We're not completely "pre-bridegroom" in that we have met Him. We know who He is. We have accepted His offer gratefully and are engaged to enjoy Him forever. That's why we call ourselves Christians.

So, while we have the understanding that He has spoken for us, we are still working to prepare ourselves and the world around us for the coming of that joyful day. We do good things, things creating beauty and reconciliation, not because they bring about the day of our spiritual marriage supper but because they ready us for it. We seek to cloth ourselves in holy garments of pleasing works in order that He might delight in us that much more. We actively move our treasures to heaven in preparation for the day of His coming. That tension of being in God's plan and in God's world and yet needing to wait for that last reckoning which will cement our position forever rings so familiarly in the heart of this almost-bride.

Almost. Not yet.

Already/not yet.

I love it when God just makes everything make sense.

Heaven-Blessed

You know, I like to think that I have a fair amount of faith.

I mean, I've lived through a few things, had a few trials, picked up a few battle scars along the way. I pray, read my Bible, encourage my friends with Scriptural promises. Sure, I have faith.

Until I'm asking for things for me.

Sure, I ask. Yes, I want God to do things for me. But the way I ask sure isn't faith-filled all the time. I ask and remind and then try not to get my hopes up.

What sort of faith is that?!?

This weekend, I felt like God was laughing at me, Ephesians 3 style: "Really, daughter? You're trying not to get your hopes up? Watch this."

Not only did He provide my wedding dress (affordably!), not only did He give me flowers at half price, but He threw in a veil at 50% off and a pretty little headband basically for free!

I'm still astounded.
Amazed.
Grateful.

So grateful.