Advent Daily Reflection 2020-12-05
Isaiah 60.19-22
The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever. They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands, so that I might be glorified. The least of them shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.
When I think of the sun and the moon and the celestial bodies in the sky, I think of fixed points of reference. Sailors have and continue to use these constant flames as beacons when traveling the vast and disorienting oceans. Mankind would hardly have dared take to the open sea without some way of charting their course and their return voyage.
Yet even the sun and stars can be obscured by the weather. Storms can overtake a ship in minutes, blotting out the sky and leaving seafarers tossed by the waves, blown off course and fighting for their lives.
I can't count how many time I have felt that way in my life. Tossed by the waves. Blown off course. Fighting for my life. Often it didn't take much of a storm. This year has been tumultuous to say the least. A global pandemic. Friends and family becoming ill. Economic insecurities. Political clashes and cultural changes. The unsurety in the things I take for granted.
Fixed points of reference were being obscured.
But deeper ones remain. Watching my daughter grow up and the constant look of joy and wonder on her face reminds me of how much beauty there is in the world. Sharing this amazing and frightening journey with Kim as we grow older (and hopefully wiser). Reaching out to friends I hadn't spoken to in years (although often just through emails and social media). Enjoying the brief moments of interaction outside with neighbors or watching people greet one another from across the street. I am reminded of how important we are to one another. How dependent we are to each other's well being.
That is how "God's glory" is manifested in my experience. Through every interaction with every person (no matter the distance), as they shine light into my life and I endeavor to shine light back just like the moon and the stars.