Your role in the Grand project: Glorifying the Master Designer!

by Yodahe Tesfaye

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. C.S Lewis, The Problem of Pain

This present subject kept me reminiscing all afternoon. I was lost in memory recollecting events in Addis Ababa from five years back. Relevant to our story is this particular custom my girlfriend (now my darling wife) and I developed back in the days. Mainly owing to my fondness to the scene of shooting water and her weakness to cakes, we never missed the opportunity to visit this luxurious hotel. The plan is not to wine and dine but to simply sit and enjoy the fountain at the back of it. It always amazes me how the jets of water shot up in the air and dance to the music playing in the background. It seemed as if every drop of water had rehearsed together a while before the unfolding of such a breathtaking drama. I sometimes thought, rather foolishly, that these waters might be smarter and cooler than normal waters (say, the nerdy ones in the lakes and rivers) as the former seemed to artfully and faultlessly do the choreography to the melody played to them. No one, though, seemed to care about the bits of water that shot themselves up in the air in unison with their fellow bits of water to complete the majestic theater taking place few meters up in the bright air. The credit for their strenuous effort to throw themselves up, turn, curve and roll, and do all sorts of gymnastics before finally diving back and dying in the ground seemed to be given to someone else by the amused spectators. The awesomeness of the fountain is to be attributed, perhaps properly so, to the one who brought all these together. The tiny drops of water, at the end, simply reflect the intellect and artistry of the brilliant architect whose brain child the fountain is. Although it is nothing to compare, it might help to draw some metaphorical similarities between the water drops and us human beings on one hand, and God and the architect of the fountain. Interestingly enough, we see God telling the prophet Isaiah that we are meant to be His servants in whom [He] will

display [His] splendor (49:3). Taking through Ezekiel the prophet also, God unmistakably relates the fact that we are (or life is) not meant to be mainly for our sakes. But that He can show the holiness of His great name so that the nations will know that [He is] the LORDwhen [He is] proved holy through you before their eyes (Ezekiel 36:22-23). This appears to give much sense to me when juxtaposing the glory of men side by side with that of God. The Bible never tires from repeatedly reminding us that we humans, independently of our own, are helpless and hapless creatures severely limited by time and space. The Psalmist rightly points out that humans are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow; and convinced that our earthly life is in the whereabouts of 80 years, the Psalmist observes that the span of our years is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away(Psalms 144:4 and 90:10). Our glory is so trashy that we are compared to the grass of the field in the first epistle of Peter who reminds us that: All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. It strikes me as interesti ng that the Bible even goes further and tells us that we cannot hold a candle even for the trees in the forest. It is with a mixed feeling of self-pity and awe that I read the words of Job as he recounts my vanity:
At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.(Job 14).

It is mind blowing to ponder our pathetically brief earthly existence in contrast to that of the great God of eternity who was before anything ever existed, who is as we speak, and who will infinitely remain to be. In comparison to eternity which itself lies in the hands of the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, our life time is but a tiny spot on the line of infinity: only a minute dot by far. John the Baptist must have taken a good grasp of this reality when he shouted that He must become greater; I must become less(John 3:30). He is, in effect, proclaiming that he is supposed to fade out of the picture having reflected-

through his life-the glory of God as the Almighty fades in brighter and brighter to illuminate the whole painting canvas. The glory of God can simply be understood as the goodness of God. This is evident from the conversation God and Moses had. When Moses asked God to show him His glory, here is how God responded: And the LORD said, I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you (Exodus 33:15ff). The Glory of God, then, is his goodness; and every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1: 17). How are we, then, supposed to display Gods glory? , you may ask. There is a striking connection between Gods definition of His Glory in Exodus and what Jesus presented to us as a way to manifest Gods Glory. Mathew 5:16 reads: let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. The Glory of God, which is His goodness, finds expression through the good deeds of us-his vessels of glory. This is why, perhaps, the bible tells us to be imitators of Godand live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God(Ephesians 5:1-2). This expression of letting our lights shine before others as an exhibit of Gods splendor brings some silly but relevant thoughts to my mind-New Years fireworks. The story of the awe-inspiring display of lights that blaze the sky, producing such a spectacular beauty is short but also forceful. Before the stunning effect of a shower of lights comes about having thousands of mesmerized eyes riveted on it, all that existed was a piece of Sparklers and firecrackers. Once kindled and shot in the air, their destiny is to adorn the skies and perish up in the air forever. Letting our lights shine to others gives me much sense in this context. We are meant to light up, display Gods glory to others around us, and pass like a puff of air. We are to shine beautifully like a firework and then dim out after having revealed Gods glory which is Gods goodness.

After all, it is only humans and some angels that long ago rebelled against the project of giving God the glory he deserves. This happened when Satan, because of his pride, was thrown out of Gods throne with a third of the angels; and then when Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden as a result of their disobedience. The rest of Gods creation, however, has always been and will always continue to glorify its maker. Doesnt the bible tell us that The

heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge? (Psalms 19). God also says: The wild animals honor me (Isaiah 43:20). Can you imagine all creation obediently taking part in the display of glory to the Lord of hosts? And can you imagine your self being absent from this picturesque scene while all that is created (except you) joyously and seamlessly declares the glory of its maker. Can you imagine the beauty that exudes from this majestic concert of glorification where all the universe harmoniously gives out its symphony for the One and only? I cannot even imagine what a monumental loss it would be to opt out of such. It is ,I suppose, high time that we desist from our rebellion which we might have unknowingly waged against God; make peace with the Master Designer, and then take up the only job we are meant to do-glorify him through our short lives and dim out. Making peace with God is simple: it suffices to accept the love offer sent through his Son Jesus Christ who is the only way to salvation (John 3:16). And as to glorifying, it is also simple: going about doing good. On a final note, it is worth pointing out what glorifying God is not: it is not increasing the glory he presently has through our contributions. As C.S Lewis famously noted, A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. Glorifying God is simply serving as reflectors of his glory, that ishis goodness-to others. After all, the Apostle Paul reminds us that we have nothing of ourselves that we can offer: from him and through him and for him are all things. In fact, we ourselves belong to Him!

Then, you ask what your role is: I say, go and do good, let your light shine, reveal His goodness!!

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

Cheers, Y.T.L