I was working on a house this week and the windows on one side of the house were covered with hard water stains.  You could see hundreds of water spots on the glass and they were set in...I had washed the window but it didn't look like I had accomplished much.  With hard water, the only thing that seems to work is to polish the glass with very fine steel wool.  Even that sometimes fails to remove the spots.

After some time I managed to get one pane fairly clean.  The glass looked night and day different from its neighboring glass pane, and I wanted to catch this in a photo, to show the difference between clean glass and glass with hard water spots.  The trouble was, the camera didn't really pick up any difference.  The spots were easy to see close up to the glass and looking from different angles, but the camera didn't really pick up these up when you did a side by side comparison picture.  Then I noticed something.  The picture is below, see if you can tell which window has the hard water spots, and which has been polished.

Could you tell?  You might have been helped by the title of this edition of Window Blessings - reflection.  I noticed that the reflection in the glass I polished was clearer.  There was more light, and clearer images coming from the pane to the right, which was the pane I had polished.

As I was contemplating the devotion I wanted to post today, this got me thinking.  Paul in 1st Corinthians 13 talks about how when we try to look for and understand God in this present life it's like looking at a mirror, which in his days meant seeing a dim image (mirror construction was apparently sketchy in the 1st century).  So many things cloud his image, or become interference to his presence.  However, in Hebrews 1 we are told Christ is "the reflection of God's glory, and the exact likeness of his being."  Having Jesus around was like having a perfectly polished piece of glass reflecting the glory of God directly to us.

A Christian literally means "little Christ", or someone who follows in the footsteps of Christ, aspires to be like Christ. If Jesus reflected perfectly the light of God, then those who call themselves by his name should seek to reflect God's light and image as best they can.  Christ called his followers to be "full of light", and his apostle John tells us in his first epistle that we should "walk in the light, as he is in the light."  Lots of light references!  Why?  Because God is our light, and we are made to reflect his light, his image (image bearers!) to others.  You must be in light to reflect it, and you must turn your surface to the light (sideways glass panes don't reflect too well).  Also, it's good to get your glass cleaned from time to time...thank heavens we all have the best glass cleaner around - Jesus!

The nice part about this image is the actual job we are given here on earth really doesn't depend on our own strength.  If we draw near to God, turn towards him, ask forgiveness and let him take care of us - walk with him - he will accomplish all that is needed through us.  We might not even know he's doing it.  People will just see his image in us, and that will inspire them!  Now that's a good thought!

Blessings!

I first started window washing while I was in seminary in Denver Colorado.  I found the work a good change of pace from the weighty propositions of my class work, and I really enjoyed being outdoors with the gorgeous backdrop of the mountains always in view.  Denver is simply a beautiful city with scenery and weather that makes you want to be outside as much as possible!

I heard a "fun fact" that Denver has the most sunny days per year of any city in the States - some 300 days out of every year are sunny.  The theory is that the mountains form a barrier that drain the weather fronts coming east of their energy, so by the time they clear the final range before Denver they are pretty much spent and dissipate.  All I know is almost everyday I walked outside, I looked up to blue sky, and felt the warmth of the sun on my face and skin.

It's also known that just as continual cloud cover and rain can bring about depressive moods, regular exposure to sunlight lifts a person's mood, helps them to have a positive outlook.  In the scriptures light is often used as a description of God's presence or as God himself.  1st John 1:5 says "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all".  From Moses all the way to Paul the Apostle, the Bible depicts servants of God experiencing his presence as a form of light appearing, reaching out to them, guiding them and empowering them to meet life with new purpose.  When John introduces us to Jesus in his gospel he says "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

There are times when we feel we are in darkness that can't be breached.  We just can't shake it.  However, the sun is always shining, even on a cloudy day...we simply need a way to remove what is blocking the light if we wish to experience the warm rays the sun provides.  This may take a plane ride when it comes to experiencing the suns rays on a cloudy day, but when it comes to feeling the light of God's presence, we may turn to that light at any time.  The scripture says nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38).  If our "soul" windows are a bit dirty, an honest prayer of confession along with a time of quiet resting, seeking God and inviting God's presence is a way to draw near to God.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you! (James 4:8)  When we turn our eyes toward him, his light and presence will lift our mood, and our souls!  In time, we actually will be a source of his light to others.  God has life in store for us, life that darkness cannot overcome!  Rest in his light.