R is for Reflect by Lorilee Guenter

 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1

This spring the northern lights were so bright they could be seen in the southern United States. At the same time, the southern lights lit up most of the southern hemisphere. The lights danced in various colours from green to red and purple. People all over the world looked to the sky in wonder. As mesmerising as this was, it is only a hint of God’s glory. A reflection can’t catch the whole, but it can make us look up.

On a still night the various ponds and lakes in our area reflect the sky. Sunsets appear to cross the horizon, illuminating the water with various shades of orange, pink, and red. The water joins the sky in declaring the glory of God. A breeze sends ripples across the reflection breaking the colour but not obliterating it.

Wind and rain mar the reflection. However, the source, the sky, remains. Even when storms obscure the light, the source remains. With a word, the wind is stilled, the clouds part and the reflection shows what was always there. The stars shine no matter how many clouds fill the space between us and them. The heavens continue their chorus. They reflect the glory of their Creator, of our Creator.

As I write, I wrestle with questions big and small. My words and the characters I create reflect the questions I have. Through my reflection, I have the opportunity to encourage thought, and to encourage conversation. Through my writing in whatever genre I use that day, I hope to reflect God’s glory. The surface of my life is marred and broken just as the wind and waves break the surface of the water. However, God never changes. He is calming the storms swirling around and inside me. He is refining my life allowing me to reflect more and more of His glory.

The heavens declare the glory of God. As creation reflects the Creator, we are invited to join in the chorus.

Out of His Fullness ~ Valerie Ronald

 

Like a jeweled orb, it hangs in the night sky ˗˗ a silvery full moon. I can’t take my eyes off it. As I prepare dinner, I keep returning to the window to gaze at its luminescence high above the black-fingered trees. The dark landscape is bathed in its cool light, creating ethereal moon shadows. I recall watching a similar moon rise over the ocean, stretching a pearly beam across the moving deep like a pathway to the stars.

When skies are clear, I love to watch the moon transition from new moon to full, from waxing to waning, throughout the nights of each month. At phases when it appears as a thin crescent, I can sometimes see a dim impression of the rest of its sphere. Though not much of the moon is showing, there is the promise of fullness to come.

The mysterious moon reminds me of the phases I experience as a writer. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so am I called to reflect the light of God’s Son through my words. The moon is a natural satellite orbiting around earth so the side facing the sun is always illuminated, but from my static position on earth, it appears to change slightly every night. The moon itself isn’t changing, just its place as it orbits the earth, affecting the amount of light it reflects.

My writing life goes through phases too. All that I am and believe spins in orbit around my Creator God, who upholds all things by the word of His power. My writing orbit is elliptical, sometimes closer to God and sometimes farther away. The light I reflect from Him in my writing varies according to where I am in my spiritual life. If I allow the world to pull me to the outer limits of my orbit around God, then the effectiveness of my writing is dimmed like the waning moon, a mere sliver of light in the dark. But when I come closer to Christ, His fullness is reflected in my words so they glow with the beauty of His person.

For out of His fullness, the superabundance of His grace and truth, we have all received grace upon grace, spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift. - John 1:16 AMP

Although it’s hard to see sometimes, I believe God can shine His light through whatever writing phase I find myself. It surprises me when something I wrote in a “waning” season draws someone to the Lord in a helpful way. I don’t have to produce brilliant prose for God to use my imperfect efforts. I will always want to write my best for Him ˗˗ to shine His light into the lives of those who read it. However, I leave it up to God to use what He can from what I have to offer. My part is to stay steady in my orbit around Him, where His fullness blesses me with grace upon grace, and gift heaped upon gift. What a privilege it is to reflect God’s brilliant abundance so others can bask in His glory. 

“Be the moon and inspire people even when you are far from full.”     
  (author unknown)

Valerie Ronald is a pastor's wife, mother and grandmother 

who enjoys reading, writing and taking photos of the

 beautiful prairies where she lives.