From the shadows

For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious...we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. ~II Corinthians 3:11 & 18

I lay awake in bed last night, peering into the corner of our bedroom, where the crib sits. I have done just that many times in these years of young motherhood. Straining to see the outline of the sleeping form of my precious babe, to catch the reassurance of the steady rise and fall of their shoulders as they breath. Last night the moon was bright, and lit the room through our thin cotton curtains. The outline of the crib was a familiar pale yellow, faded almost to black and white tones in the darkness. I could make out the balloons painted by my mother when I was a baby, but not their colors. The white dresser beside stood silently and majestically like a sentry. I was struck by the truth from II Corinthians 3, that this image before me, so plaintively beautiful in the moonlight, is hauntingly similar to my short life here on this earth. How sad it would be if I never held my baby during the night, content to peer through the darkness at the familiar shadows reassuring me that he is safe and happy! Likewise, if I focus exclusively on the time God has given me here, I will surely miss the foreshadowing of His endless gift, eternity. I cherish these moments with my family as I face the next hurdle, yet keep in mind that I am running a race with a finish line and, most importantly, a prize at the end. Jesus and Heaven must remain my first hope - not these quickly fading days that will pass into dim memory so soon, like the faint specters in our room in the moonlight.

Thank You, God,
You lead me from the darkness.
Thank You, God,
You are my song.
What was glorious before
Has no glory compared to You,
What seemed hopeless before
You fill with hope.

God, You are my hero,
Lord, You are my Savior,
I rejoice in the glory and hope of You.
In Your delight and Your grace,
In this privileged place,
I stand in the peace of Your love.

Thank You, God,
You reach down from the heavens,
To touch my heart,
this heart of stone.
You remove the walls around me
and bring me out into
The wide open space,
Your amazing grace.