Are You Becoming a True Spectator of the Glory of God

Are You Becoming a True Spectator of the Glory of God?

Posted on by Michele Morin

My sweatshirt still carries the faint aroma of woodsmoke, and I’ll get around to washing it sooner or later. For right now, though, I’m enjoying the memory of our quick, impromptu camping adventure in the tall pine trees surrounding Mount Blue.

We carried in our water and used a Coleman lantern and a crackling fire for light. We left our useless phones in the car because we were completely off the grid, and couldn’t have made a call or checked our email even if we’d wanted to.

Distracted from Distraction by Distraction

Phantom worries would occasionally flit across my mind: “What if one of the kids needs us?” (Mothers of adult children may sympathize with that thought, but even empty nesters need to trust God to take care of everything and everyone when we cannot.)

My initial struggle to be still, to stay present to the sound of the wind in the pines and the flickering of the morning fire found words in my summer reading project. I’m working on T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, enjoying the beauty of the poetry—but also working pretty hard to understand his thoughts. Sometimes reading feels like clearing away the fog on the bathroom mirror with my sleeve.

However, one thought is coming through loud and clear, for even though he wrote in 1943, I feel as if he understood my struggle to focus. He laments that in his own writing (and maybe in his praying?) he is “distracted from distraction by distraction/filled with fancies and empty of meaning.” He was plagued by “tumid [swollen/pompous] apathy with no concentration.”

Almost as if to prove his point, there I was, surrounded by beauty, and wondering how I was going to fit in my Spanish lesson on Duolingo without internet access. To receive the gift of each moment, all that was required was for me to simply be. Rest is crucial for the management of Parkinson’s disease, but it’s even more crucial for the management of my life in the presence of God.

John Calvin lamented:

“However much the glory of God shines forth, scarcely one man in one hundred is a true spectator of it.” #JohnCalvin

Shining Forth with God’s Glory

When I had quieted and settled, my reading led me to ponder some terminology, to ruminate over words like Christianity, evangelicalism, and witness. What do they mean exactly, and does claiming a spot in one of those camps, and identifying as a believer (another word to wrestle with) require some kind of verifiable evidence?

What is it that makes a Christian “shine”? Paul explains it in his letter to the Galatians when he tells them, “I will be in anguish until Christ is formed in you.” He wanted evidence!

This makes sense, naturally, for without evidence, one’s salvation is suspect. But what a goal! The formation of Christ in the believer may imply certain actions, but I’m convinced that Paul was more concerned with essence than actions.

He was concerned with what those Galatian believers were being and becoming. Clinging to Law, they needed a vivid image of the new freedom available to them in Christ. What does a Christian look like, and WHY does a Christian do what she does?

Paul depicts an alternative to the Galatian hustle—a Spirit-powered state of being he summarizes with nine strong nouns: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).
No matter what his circumstances, Christ was able to be loving, to be full of joy, to be peaceful.
He embodied patience, kindness, and goodness.
His nature was faithful and gentle.

Christ’s life becomes visible in the life of a believer when our essence, our motives, our WHY is truly Christ-like. As usual, Paul’s words sear more than they soothe, but I’ll pose the questions that I’m asking myself:

  • Why do you do what you are doing?
  • Who are you becoming as a result?
  • What evidence do you show that Christ is being formed in you?

Holding You in the Light,

What is it that makes a Christian “shine”? Christianity is more about essence than actions–but our actions do matter!

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

26 thoughts on “Are You Becoming a True Spectator of the Glory of God?”

  3. Oh, such good questions! I look forward to your questions and the way they get right to the “nitty-gritty” of life and how we need to live ours. I’m going to spend the next few days mulling over these questions. No, I don’t need all that time to answer them, but I find so many thoughts come up with each one. I want to listen and contemplate what answers come up and what answers I wish I had. Thanks~

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    1. Exactly! It’s so important to look at what IS while also acknowledging aspirational responses, goals we are going to trust for.
      I appreciate the conversations we have here in the comments!

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  4. I keep coming back to 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Sometimes we focus on our spiritual disciplines as an end in themselves instead of a means of beholding Him. When I look at myself and say, “I need to be more loving,” I get discouraged and fall further away from where I need to be. But when I see and consider how He loves me and others, I’m melted, and His love fills me and flows from me.

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  5. Great questions you ask Michele:

    Why do you do what you are doing?
    Who are you becoming as a result?
    What evidence do you show that Christ is being formed in you?

    I am a prophet of the Lord called by him circa 1982 with this rhema, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” We are raised up when rampant sin is going on. Our job is to call the people back to God and to warn of coming judgment. Another aspect of our job is proclaim the coming of the Lord. Those are the main characteristics of our calling. Being a Christian, the Lord has allowed me to speak scripture into being. And the fruit is his; the outcome is his work, done in the power of the Holy Spirit. But it is quite an uneasy occupation for me. Jesus leads the way for he dealt with his own Jewish people especially the religious leaders, as well as gentiles, such as the Romans, soldiers, king, caesar and governor-prefect.

    Quite a sandwich to be in, between a rock and a hard place.

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  6. I love the idea of a ‘Galatians “hustle” in becoming the 9 fruits of the spirit. I must say I have to fight against hustle of a different kind – what the world expects of me, and what I expect of me. And like you, I also have to fight against distractions. I can’t say I’ve been doing well ….

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  7. I am like that whenever we visit national parks; I’m always so glad to get away and not to have access to the phone and cell service but since we often leave our boys at home when we do I find that I do have those moments each day when I worry about “what if they need us?” We’re so used to having that instant access that I never had with my own parents growing up and I have to remind myself that it wasn’t always this way. I don’t need to be connected all the time.

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  8. Thank you for this thought-provoking post, Michele. I love the John Calvin quote! I do believe that becoming a true spectator of God’s glory around us impacts our motives, our spiritual growth, and the fruit of our lives. We soon desire to live out our wonder in God and appreciation for him with praiseworthy action, as love-gifts back to him. And we find ourselves reflecting God’s glory–his attributes of love, compassion, grace, wisdom, and more–to those around us.

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  9. Michele: I, also, struggle with dealing with distractions. My husband is worse about this than I. God has been good to us and to our son, I have to thank Him for that. Some days, I ‘plan’ to do certain things but I get sidetracked, very easily. Good blog entry. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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  11. Michelle this is beautiful. I love those quotes too. You ask questions to reflect on. I’ve become more intentional in pausing to reflect on God’s glory and creations.
    Thanks bunches for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month sweet friend.

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  12. I often ponder your why and who questions, but I haven’t considered the “What evidence do you show that Christ is being formed in you?” Good one.

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  13. Your impromptu camping adventure sounds delightful, Michele! I guess it’s encouraging to hear that even in 1943 they were wrestling with being distracted. 🙂 Resting in the moment, learning to just BE, is a critical part of becoming our best human self, encapsulating what it means to contain and give Love.

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