I just love this time of the year. The days are getting longer and soon we need – even here way up north – some sunglasses to protect us from the bright rays of the sun. Have you ever heard of spiritual shades? I hadn’t either. But, believe me, spiritual shades make sense in more ways than one.

You see, just this morning I was discussing with my children about mirrored sunglasses. Our discussion started when my son said that it feels like the future is wearing mirrored sunglasses. How so? Because we can’t see into the future. All we can see is what’s going on right now. I said maybe God is wearing mirrored sunglasses too. He can see us but we can’t see him, only ourselves as his image.

Afterwards, I wondered maybe we are all wearing spiritual shades. God’s light is so bright that in order to be in his presence, we might really need spiritual shades. Not to block away the light but enable us to see more with our limitations.

God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him (1 John 1:5b, MSG).

Our human eyes can’t take all the light of God in. Once we get to heaven our limitations will be taken away. Until then we need spiritual shades in order to function in God’s bright light.

We should not get so comfortable with our spiritual shades though that we completely forget God’s reality is much brighter than our reality or what we can perceive with our spiritual shades.

Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You (Psalm 139:12a, AMP).

Also we should remember that our spiritual shades are not blocking God from seeing what’s going on in our lives, no matter how dark shades we wear. Sometimes we’d like it to be so. But our wishes don’t change the fact that God sees everything and knows everything. And loves us anyway.

God’s love is so intense that he does not want to leave us in our hidden darkness. He wants to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He wants to gradually make us more tolerant for his radiant light. He wants to make us ready for eternal glory and brightness. Without any spiritual shades.

 

Gracious God,
Your glory is so much brighter, better and bigger
than I can imagine.
Yet you love me and want me there with you.
Make it so, Lord.
Create in me a clean heart.
Make me holy like you.
Get me ready for all that you are.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Spiritual shades – what do you think? Are they useful? Why/why not?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you let God prepare you for all he is!

Image courtesy of Efusdorf – Own work, CC BY 3.0, design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Sharing His Beauty, Small Wonders, and #InspireMeMonday.