Made with Glory
I was eating ice cream and prancing through a parking lot when a very profound and simple truth dawned on me. I was singing one of my favorite worship songs, which has a lyric “I was made by You, I was made for You”, and the truth of those words flowed out of my voice: I was made. Isn’t that amazing when you think about it? You were made by someone! God had to craft and form your nose, your eyes, your internal organs that work together so beautifully, clothe you with your skin, and breathe life into you. If you really believe that, that means you’re precious beyond all imagining. There’s a dignity and value upon you that is often unsung, yes, but nevertheless bestowed, given, and sustained in every moment.
You were made. What are the implications of that? Well, for starters, it means that we are wanted. In order for God to bless you and breathe His life into you, it means He first had to look at you and approve of you. That means you aren’t an accident that passed through His fingers while He wasn’t looking. I imagine it going something like this: “YES! This is the one I love! Look, all you saints and angels, at what I have made! Admire her beauty. Look at the stateliness with which I’ve made my son!”. We’ve been made with incredible glory. A glory often covered up by sin and all of its effects, but a beauty that’s unbreakable.
If this is true, then could it also be true that we are still constantly being taken care of at every moment? I mean, if God put so much beauty and love into making us, then wouldn’t every hair on our heads continue to matter to Him? This is awesome, because we live in a shifting, insecure world – but that doesn’t mean we have to feel afraid. What’s going on is not a witness to whether or not God delights in us. That blows my mind! God delights in you, even in the middle of a pandemic, political tensions, and the wounds you feel in your heart! It has no power over His delight in you! We often talk about “these days” as hard times, and they are. But the verdict on you remains the same: beloved son or beloved daughter. Nothing has power to take that away.
If God is constantly holding us in existence, does that mean it’s a chore for Him? Everytime I go to confession, ask for His help, or feel weak, it’s often easy to imagine God rolling His eyes. If you’re anything like saddle-up-for-a-challenge me, then it’s probably really easy to put all the pressure on yourself until you crumble. The lie there is that we are a burden too heavy for anyone else, so we need to come up with our own resources and tools. I am constantly reminded by God’s mercy that He is not only capable of taking care of my life, but also that it’s His delight to be the hero for me. The invitation is to surrender!
The truth that we are made is so beautiful! And if we let it, it will open our hearts to the beauty and glory of others in the world. The way we view the unborn, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor, is all shaped by the beauty with which we were created. Our culture can’t necessarily wrap its head around that, yet – the Catholic view of the human person is radical! But to let this sink in and to affirm this in the other people around us can set us up for the most beautiful and joyful of lives!
Practicals:
- Some of the best prayer advice I was ever given was to spend the first 10 minutes of prayer time just enjoying the gaze of the Father. It’s awesome!! And the cool thing is that that gaze never changes or leaves. It is always over us. The more we make a habit of this, the more it’s easy to see that we have an open heaven over us at all times.
- Take one of your thought patterns to God and simply ask Him what He thinks about it. Something like “God I feel like I have to be perfect, and perfection looks like ____ right now to me. What do you think it looks like?”
- Be gentle with yourself. You were made with glory, but you’re not expected to be perfect. That’s a burden too big to bear! When you go to confession or when you come face-to-face with one of your limitations, try surrendering instead, and give God the chance to do miracles for you!
