More Than Light
My wife, by the grace of God, has just begun the 25th week of pregnancy, which means we are six months into this miracle with just three months left before we meet our son Callum. I have often been told that a child transforms your life in ways you cannot expect or imagine. Since the day my wife revealed to me that God had gifted us a child, I have tracked our son’s growth via baby apps that illustrate how big your child is using such measures as the head of a pin to common fruit. Apparently, at twenty-five weeks, Callum is now the size of a rutabaga.
These apps also explain the physical changes a woman goes through in each stage of pregnancy, including a phenomenon known as the “pregnancy glow,” which, according to the American Pregnancy Association,1 can be attributed to the influx of hormones. Whatever the reason, my wife has had the glow from early in the pregnancy when it threatened to reveal our once closely kept secret to the discerning eye. Early on, her glow was the only outward sign of the miraculous transformation that was occurring inside her womb, and now, a healthy baby bump confirms to the world that baby boy Callum is on the way.
In our faith community, transformational moments when one truly feels the presence of God are often referred to as “mountain top” experiences. Like Moses, whose face shined brilliantly as he descended Mount Sinai, having spoken with “The Great I Am” (Exodus 34:29), those who have recently had a mountaintop experience are often said to be “on fire for God.” That can mean many things. However, for the new believer, it simply means that a light has been sparked within and now shines brightly for the world to see. Much like the pregnancy glow, that light is one of the first outward signs of the miracle that has occurred and might continue to occur within.
However, at some point, we must all descend from the mountain and tend to our day-to-day duties and responsibilities. And though that glow is a wonderful beginning, we must work to nourish our budding faith so that it grows and matures. Our faith's maturity is revealed in how we live our lives.
In the book of 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul’s fourth letter to the church he founded in Corinth, he states:
“14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who dies and rose again on their behalf.” (2 Corinthians 5:14)
No matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, whether you are on fire for God or whether you feel like you have been cast into the fire like Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, I invite you to join me this week as I reflect on this one question:
Does my life/your life reflect my/your love for Christ?
At some point, we must all descend from the mountain and tend to our day-to-day duties and responsibilities. And though that glow is a wonderful beginning, we must work to nourish our budding faith so that it grows and matures. The maturity of our faith is revealed in the way that we live our lives. The closer we walk with the Lord, the more the transformation that began in our hearts manifests outwardly for the world to see. Not for show, so that others might say that we are righteous, but rather, out of humility and gratitude to Him who died and rose again for our behalf.
This week as you reflect on the question above, I encourage you to pray for the Lord to reveal to you how you can begin or continue to honour Him with and through your life.
Yours in Christ,
Brad
https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/changes-in-your-body/pregnancy-glow/
