Something to think about…
One of my favorite stories is about an aspiring artist. A little girl was drawing away in class during their free time. She was so engrossed in her artistic project, that it caught the teacher's attention. The teacher came over and inquired about her masterpiece. “What are you drawing over here?” Still focused on her project, she replied, “I'm drawing a picture of God!” The teacher responded, “How can you draw a picture of God? Nobody knows what God looks like.”
Without missing a beat, the little girl said, “Well, they will in a minute.” I love that childlike confidence.
Our primary purpose is to know God and to make Him known; to reflect the image of our Creator into the world. Others should catch a glimpse of what God looks like through us.
As Paul said: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
What image are you reflecting today? What we reflect ultimately depends on what we are facing. Like a mirror if we orient our lives toward God then we will reflect His light, His love, and His image in the world.
But, if we are oriented to the things of this world then we will simply reflect the world back on itself. Do people catch a glimpse of what God looks like through you? I love what Mother Teresa once said, “We are all pencils in the hand of a writing God, who is sending love letters to the world.”
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” I love the way that the message translates that passage: “Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.” (Matthew 5:13-14 MSG)
As salt and light we are called to be a Godly influence in our world. Pastor Adam Hamilton once said, “It is easy to irritate people, but it is hard to influence them.”
May we be a people oriented toward God so that we might reflect His light in this dark world and a people filled with God's love so that we might season the world in such a way that others might taste and see that our God is good!