Our sheepdog Sam just got shaved down for the summer and he looks totally different. When I brought him home, we told our friend Curtis, who is living in our basement right now, that we got a new dog named Sam #2. I called Sam for what seemed like several minutes before he actually came out of his bathroom-hiding spot to show off his new hairdo. Sam acts embarrassed when he gets shaved down. It’s like he loses his glory and walks around ashamed for a while.
Glory and shame, naked and fig leaves, Sam fluffy and Sam shaved – all pictures of what God intended and what brokenness brings. Each and every day I battle with shame and so do you. It’s not a popular word but it’s everywhere we look in this world. Shame says: you are not enough, do more, try harder, be better, get your act together. Shame shows up on the scale and in the mirror, the kitchen, the bedroom and the office. Shame tells me I am not a good parent, not worthy of love, not valuable.
Glory on the other hand is what God sees when he looks at you through Christ. Glory says: you are my beloved, you have been bought at a price because I treasure you; my grace is sufficient for you; rest, breathe, and cease striving. Glory tells me in parenting that my child is really God’s child and just on loan to me for a season. Glory says that heaven loves Russell far more than I ever could. Glory reminds me of my identity in Christ and of my destiny in heaven.
It is glorious to see God’s glory. May you have grace to trust His glory alive in you, and may others see his glory through you today.
Susie Grade 