Glory to Glory

From Glory to Glory… It is my mom’s most favorite saying. It comes from 2 Corinthians 3:18  …..

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The 1st time I ever heard her say it was when she was moving back to San Diego after a stint in Palm Desert, CA. Her and my dad had only been divorced for a short time and she had taken a shot at becoming an employee after having been self employed for several years. She encountered some not so great leaders in her workplace and after a year or so decided that it was time to get back to San Diego where she would be closer to family. As she was driving, tears streaming down her face she pondered all of the changes and challenges over the previous years and all of the uncertainties of her present situation. In this moment she spoke aloud a promise that God has given us from His word and that promise is that he is taking us from Glory to Glory. She knew from the bottom of her heart that no matter how hard things had been that the best was yet to come.

Mom has continually imparted those words of wisdom to me over and over and over again. Everything that we go through, every single challenge, victory, goal, failure, achievement, you name it, is being used to transform you, me, all of us into who God designed us to be. More like Him. I’m not so sure that I believe that God causes bad things to happen, but rather bad things happen because we live in a fallen world. I think however that God uses those bad things to change us and others for the better. I am not happy that I went through cancer but man have I met some pretty awesome ladies as a result of having gone through it. I have relationships with complete strangers just for the fact that we share the commonality of chemo suckyness. (yes, made that word up). If I could go back I wouldn’t choose cancer as path for me but I can’t go back so I embrace what is and am trying to reach out to as many women that I can so that they know someone understands what they are going through and they are not alone.

We’re not big TV watchers around here. We sometimes watch Netflix on the weekends but that’s about it. (Unfortunately for me this means that I am only on season 2 of Fixer Upper and I am lovin’ me some Chip and Joanna Gains!) But I digress. The point is that since not much tv happens during normal life, when life gets abnormal the TV goes on. My youngest had the flu this week and he discovered a TV show called Flash. So what did he do? Binged watched the whole season in two days! What did his mom do? She listened from the other room, snuck peeks every now and again, peppered her 10 year old son with a 101.8 fever with tons of questions because she didn’t quite understand what was going on. He did his best but he didn’t really understand enough about it to explain the details either. The truth is that I really like TV so I stay away from it so that I will have a life. Anyway, the basic gist was that the main character, a young man, had spent most of his life trying to undo a tragic event and he realized in the end that the life he had lived as a result of that tragic event was in fact a great life. When he finally got the opportunity to undo what had been done so many years previously he chose to let it be because he didn’t want to change his present reality.

It was a great reminder to look around at life with fresh eyes and appreciate all that you have been given and cultivated through your life experiences. The relationships that you have with your family and friends are mostly a direct result of where you have been and how you have been changed by what has happened. The reality is that we can’t go back. You cannot undo what has been done. So embrace it and recognize all the good that has come from it and keep telling yourself, “God is taking me from Glory to Glory.”

Ryan n Aimee 2010

Shortly after Aimee went to be with Jesus, Ryan, her husband, began confiding in a friend at work. It wasn’t too long before this friend became more than a friend and Ryan and Echo fell in love. Ryan had loved Aimee so much and to watch him move on was very difficult. But the reality was that Ryan had honored and loved Aimee so well that God quickly gave him someone to walk through life with because that is what they both (he and Echo) needed. You can’t go back. There is no, “what would have happened if….” There is reality and you have choices to make with how you are going to deal with that reality. Fast forward almost 5 years and Ryan and Echo are going strong. They love the Lord, they love each other and they love their kids. God had and still has a plan, the road hasn’t been an easy one as obviously there has been a lot of grief to process and kids to raise but they are making the most out of the path that they are on and with each passing year their love for each other continues to grow. Ryan’s life with Echo doesn’t change how he felt about Aimee. Aimee’s path was to go be with Jesus at a very young age. Ryan’s path was to forge ahead, keep living and raise the son that God gave them to the best of his ability. God gave him Echo to help him live the life he has now.

Ryan n Echo 2015

So whatever you are struggling with today. Grief, illness, financial issues, job changes whatever it may be. Stop. Take a look around and tell yourself, “God is taking me from Glory to Glory.” Look back at where you have been and note all of the good things that have come out of situations where it seemed like no good would ever be found. Nothing in this life is easy, so much happens every single day that makes us shake our heads and ask, “Why?” I can’t answer the why part but I do know that God is good and he is taking your mess and making something beautiful out of it. Unexpected but beautiful.

Have a great day, All!