When I was in the second grade there was a girl, pink-faced and pugged-nosed, with permed, tight, blonde curls who chewed up a ring a little boy had given me. The story—my daddy wouldn’t let me keep the gift from the young man because he thought I was much too young to receive such a present. But when I returned it, my sweet suitor, crushed with disappointment, gave it to the first person he saw. I’ll never forget her standing in front of me chewing on that ring. It broke my heart. To this day, I can’t think of her without that horrific picture in my mind. And when it came time to name my daughter, that little girl’s name was certainly not on my list.
Isn’t that the way it is? As strange as it seems, names or, for that matter, words, linked by association with a niggling memory we can’t always put a finger on, daily affect the decisions we make. Like heartburn after a meal that causes that most uncomfortable sensation, or something that happens that “leaves a bad taste in our mouth,”—those moments from our past are like the sliver of a splinter we can’t find but know is there.
One word for me, tied to such a memory is the word, glory. In movies or on television I’ve seen it misused many times by actors playing less than above board preachers. You know the scenes I’m talking about—when the characters say the word glory with resounding passion, but as the viewer we know it’s used for own personal, dishonest gain. Those portrayals were much like that splinter, invading and sticking in my subconscious. But when I look up the meaning of the word glory, it is anything but that picture.
Several of the definitions found in dictionary.com of the word glory, are “Something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration. Resplendent beauty or magnificence. A state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity. A state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc. The splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.”¹
When I think on those meanings and begin to think of glory, of God’s glory, those past thoughts of glory misused fall away.
When you see something beautiful, something wonderful, something that brings everything we search for on this earth, but can’t find, don’t we want to shout it from the rooftops? Don’t we run to tell everyone we love and care for what we have found? Such as it is with the Glory of the Lord. The Bible tells us, “If we lift Him up, He will draw all men to Him.” (See John 12:32.)
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created!” Revelations 4:11 (TLV)²
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” Luke 2:14³
Kimberly
1. Dictionary.Com – The World’s Favorite Online Dictionary! Dictionary.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 July 2016.
2. Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
3. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
