We are called to reflect God's glory. Have you ever seen a body of water that's so still and smooth, it looks like glass? I have; it's pristine, beautiful, peaceful. And it perfectly reflects the sky above it and landscape around it, like a mirror.
That's the image I've always had when I think about my life reflecting the glory of God. But the problem is that I rarely feel like a smooth, glassy lake. My life---my heart---is much more tumultuous than that.
And then I realized something: God can miraculously use even the stormy sea of my life to reflect His glory.
He's not waiting for all the conditions to be perfect, for me to be smooth and ripple-free, or for the rhythmic waves of my life to cease. Nope. In fact, He gets even more glory when I reflect Him amid the strong currents and perfect-storm waves.
That means being able to pray things like ---
"In the midst of this sorrow and grief, position me to reflect as much of Your glory as possible."
"If You can get glory from my sickness, then go ahead and do it."
"Be glorified in me right in the midst of this situation and not just in my deliverance from it."
I'm working hard to get my heart to a place where I can do that. Where I can pray it, believe it, mean it. This much I know is true: God can leverage anything for His glory if I will surrender it to Him.