Amazed

‘So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ – 1 Corinthians 10:31

On this blog, when I talk about looking for the glory of God, I don’t use the term lightly. What I mean is: Where did I see his power, love, and wisdom? Was I aware of his work in challenging and changing me? Have I stopped to take grateful, awe-struck note of his preposterous blessings – his grace and favour and goodness in everything from hot tea to raucous laughter to the hope of heaven? How have I seen him reaching into a concrete, hurting, hoping world to leave his divine, eternal fingerprints?  Have I recognised his glory in holding all things together – galaxies and ordinary lives?

This week, I saw splashes of glory all over the place.

I saw God’s glory in Cam (almost) getting it right to pedal his cousin’s ancient blue bike. (He’s saving up for a new one. He gets 50c every time he feeds Lola. I reckon when he gets to about R7,50 we’ll just chip in the rest. J)

I saw God’s glory in Scotty ‘cruising’ along the coffee table, and trying desperately to climb the burglar bars like his brother. And in his one-raised-eyebrow, astonished, quizzical, flirty look. And in a new tooth and the relief of knowing that maybe some of the snot and misery will now cease.

I saw God’s glory in Cam’s amazing way with words. I was changing Scott’s nappy the other day and Cam yelled to me (politely and sincerely) from the playroom, ‘Mom! You’re welcome to come and play with me!’ This morning he used a metaphor and a simile in one breath: ‘Mom, is Scott’s head a ball with a forehead? Like a pebble?’ With him, it’s all a matter of semantics. Yesterday he was jumping all over Scott so I said, ‘No Cam! Don’t squash him.’ ‘I’m not squashing him,’ he replied, ‘I’m just squishing him.’ (Which of course made it all ok.)

I saw God’s glory in the way Cam’s other senses are so highly developed. He can taste the difference between Ceres lemon iced tea (‘the one with the green lid’) and ‘Pick ‘n Pay lemon iced tea with the yellow lid’. He vastly prefers the latter. A less biased person than his mother might just say that he is ridiculously fussy.

I saw God’s glory in the way he so often answers our prayers to bring people into our home, and to make it a place of peace, where Christ is King. I saw his glory in a week full of significant conversations, in which Kingdom connections were made and seemingly, amazingly coincidental and serendipitous things just fell into place. He is at work! For his glory, for our good.

'When you have brought up kids, there are certain memories you store directly in your tear ducts.’ - Robert Brault