One of my favorite things in all the world is stained glass windows.
Man, oh man. I love stained glass windows. They’re so beautiful. Every time I see them, they steal my breath away, and I find myself slowing down to take them in. No matter where they are or what story they tell, I’m always captivated. Beautiful works of art meticulously formed from shards of broken pieces, stained by vivid colors, and brought to life by the light of the sun. Just like you and me.
Have you ever walked past a church or into a chapel and just stopped? I’ll put on the screeching breaks eerrrrrr and backtrack a few steps when I walk past on my way to do something else. Then it’s like time stops. My heartbeat slows down and I feel this calming sense of awe just settle deep into my chest. It’s like I suddenly realize just how big the world is and how small I truly am. A single word almost always forms on my lips as I gaze up at the array of colorful glass windows and suck in a small gasp…”Wow…”
Breathe that feeling in, Cora. Gaze at the fractured pieces. Puzzle them out until you see the bigger picture. Smile at the stunning colors as the light shines through. And even when I pass by at a time of day or night when the light doesn’t hit the shards just right…I’m still taken aback by the absolute beauty of stained glass windows, y’all! They’re just so magnificent! But the other day, I started thinking about how we are like stained glass windows in a way. Now, I know that sounds odd, but hear me out.
From beginning to end, our lives are like stained glass windows. First, someone has to create a design, a plan. What are the windows going to look like? How big will they be and how many pieces in each one? What shapes are the pieces? What shape is the whole window? What colors do we want to use? What colors don’t we want to use? And where do we want to use them? What story do we want to tell with this window? What about the one next to it? And across from it? What is the story they all tell when put together and mounted as a whole? Where can we put these windows so that they best utilize the sun’s brilliant light?
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Next, there are people who take the designs and have to cut the pieces and stain them. Then, someone has to assemble the pieces and fit them into place, put them in their casings and frames. And finally, we get to enjoy the masterpieces in public!
Now, I’m no window expert, so I’m guessing there’s a lot more to it than that, but for our purposes, this is what we’re going with. God is our creator. He’s designed us down to our talents, desires, hopes, hair color, eye color, and pet peeves. He knows us better than we know ourselves! And He loves us unconditionally.
Not only has He designed each of us, uniquely and beautifully, but He’s also designed everyone around us and placed them in our lives at specific points. He’s opened doors and closed doors. He’s opened windows sometimes, too. He has a plan for our lives, a very specific purpose for us to fulfil. We have to shine whatever color we’ve been given and fit into the bigger picture. Our job is to catch the light of the Son and shine it brilliantly!!
When we all do our jobs, each individually working together as the hands and feet of Christ to join together collectively as the body of Christ, we’ll have something a whole lot cooler than a coat of many colors. Guys, we can be a stained glass window that tells a story! The story God’s designed for us. And when the people we never meet do their jobs on the other side of the world and live their lives to their fullest potentials, then we have a series of stained glass windows lined up one after another. And when all of the stained glass windows line up each shining a series of colors in their own panel, then we get to see the big picture God designed for all of creation. And that’s pretty cool.
But none of this happens if we aren’t each doing our part. God can shape us and stain us. He can fit us into His mold and frame us as He sees fit. He can move the pieces nearest us, but ultimately, it’s our job to collect light and to fulfil the purpose and calling God has laid on our hearts. We each have talents, skills, desires, and hopes. We each bring something unique, beautiful, and priceless to the table, experiences no one else has seen through our tainted vision. We each have a purpose that no one else can fill, no one else can do…at least, not like we can.
It’s our job to live intentionally. We have to live on purpose for a purpose. We have to seek growth. We can’t settle for mediocrity. We can’t be okay with just okay. We have to seek God’s will, pursue His purpose, rejoice in trials that shape us and stain us, submit ourselves to the refining fire, and become who God made us to be! When we do that, then…then we can rejoice and stare in awe at the story our Creator has designed.
And when we are diligent, when we capture the light of Christ and shine it through the stained colors God has crafted of us, then others will pause…draw in a breath…and gaze in awe at the story of our lives. We can exhibit our testimonies like beautiful works of art. We can show all the broken parts of our lives and how they came together to make something incredible and awe-inspiring. We can point to how light shines through each piece and color making every past hurt and scar into something we never dreamed they could be. We can be stained glass windows. And what more beautiful thing in all the world is there than to point to Christ?
Love always,
Coralie