The Glory of God

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands....there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world..."

Psalm 19:1,3-4a

A week ago today, we were hit by a tornado. Our roof is totaled, our flowers and trees are shredded, but our house is still standing, and so are we. We take care of my 89 year old grandpa, and my parents and my one and only thought was, “Get Grandpa to the basement safely.” We did. With God’s help and in His strength and initiative on all our part we got him downstairs where he enjoyed watching the storm from the open door. Then we went out and took pictures and watched the storm. After it passed, we went out and assessed the damage. Outside our kitchen window, we have pots of flowers. Correction; we HAD pots of flowers. Now, we just have pots of stocks.And that made me think…..

Everywhere we looked we could see where the tornado had hit us. The beauty was in the sky, no longer in our flower pots, nor on our trees. This is like a theme for our life, or so it would seem.

The other day, my mom and I were looking at old pictures. Without meaning any disrespect, I looked at images of my mom 16 years ago and said, “What happened?” (I know, I know, totally wrong response and I know my future kids will totally get me back someday.) She even said, “Wow, if that wasn’t me, I’d say, ‘she’s pretty!!’” (See? My reaction was justified.) The picture we were looking at is stunning and it was a candid of her and Preston and me. I got to looking at the surroundings of the picture and I realized what the storms of life this flower had endured. The picture was taken right before one of her favorite people died, her kids were still babies- her youngest was 7 and she had no idea that he’d be deploying to Iraq 2 times 16 years later because of a war caused by terrorists in the Mid-East. Her mom/best friend was still alive, and she had no idea that her husband would lose his job and the country would be in a recession. She’d had storms in her life, but the next decade and a half would be the one where God would really test her.

Back to our flower pots, the stocks were still standing when we got upstairs. Their beautiful petals were in the pots floating around in the rain water. I about cried when I saw them. I mean, I’d just survived a tornado, I should have been joyfully happy, but all I could say was, “Look at our poor little flowers!!”

I felt the same when I saw the picture of my mom. When I felt a touch of fear, I realized that beauty was a god to me, my mom’s beauty, and beauty in general. I still think my mother’s “the prettiest lady in the whole wide world”, to quote Taylor Swift’s song, “Best Day”, but when I look back at what life does to beauty, it scared me. Maybe I faced my mother’s mortality or something. Maybe I realized that I’ll probably look like an old Asian woman someday. Whatever it was, made me see a part of my own humanity I didn’t like.

And then, like a storm clearing, I’ve seen the sun shining on the stocks in the flower pots all week. The stocks, though weathered and badly beaten up, were still standing. And in their standing, I saw a different kind of beauty. A beauty that lasts. I saw God. Life has beaten my family and me up like a tornado whips up the prairie. We are bruised and battered, but by the grace of God, we are standing. Our petals are floating around, but our stocks are strong and being made stronger. Our roots are firm. I look around at my church, my friends and acquaintances around the country and I see the storms of life haven’t left one of us unscathed. And I see the weary look in your eye, or hear it in your tone and feel it as I read your texts. Life is hard. Life hurts. But praise God, you are standing. I see Him when I talk with you and I watch you grapple with life and as you fight to stand. I’m proud of you, but more, I’m proud of Him. You may have lost your petals, your beauty that made you think you “had it”. But beloved, you have an everlasting beauty as the God of heaven and earth enters you and makes you stand. He proclaims your beauty and applauds you as you take one step after another in His direction. You are beautiful.

Guess what, today I saw the first flower since the storm outside the kitchen window. I went outside to examine and take a picture of it because I knew that I was going to show you. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the first flower is purple- the color of royalty. She’s battered and she’s got hail holes in her, but she’s there all the same. She showed up despite what the storm did to her. Want to know something else? She’s FACING THE DIRECTION SHE GOT HIT. She’s not cowering, afraid of the next storm. She’s facing it head on, almost defiantly. The storm didn’t get the best of her, she’s not letting it.

And neither are you. You are standing, even if your petals are gone, or they’re full of bullet-like holes, you’re standing. Your beauty will return. Selfishly, I hope and pray for each of us, it’s in this lifetime. But I do know for sure and for certain, you and I will have beauty bestowed on us by our God beyond this life. Stand firm and take a lesson from a battered flower who hasn’t lost her regal standing:

“In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.”

Isaiah 4:2 “How attractive and beautiful they will be!”

Zechariah 9:17