How I’m Learning to Glorify God, Not My Human Drama

 I’m a storyteller by nature. I love good acting, too. So it’s really tempting when I am experiencing a particularly spectacular trial to make much of it. I want others to hear every dramatic detail so they can fully appreciate what I am going through. 

The problem is I often end up making more of my circumstances than I do of my God.

I am coming to the conclusion that I have a choice to make.

  I can play up the drama, rehearsing and reliving it over and over, or I can intentionally glorify God with my words.

Here’s the latest example: I’ve been having a pretty interesting (yes, euphemism) holiday season. My husband’s back was out the whole week his parents were visiting. As our son was driving them back to the airport, the three of them were in a rollover accident. Things could have been much worse; Mom is the only one who had to be admitted to the hospital for several broken bones.

But wait, there’s more. We have water damage in our main bathroom, so that tub/shower is now unavailable, and we have decisions to make about the repair. Meanwhile, our only car was destroyed in the accident.

There’s some room for the dramatic, here, right?

 More importantly, there’s lots of room to glorify God.

I give thanks and praise and glory to God for sparing the lives of my family members. My son escaped with a scraped ankle and swollen finger. My father-in-law injured his hands, but they will heal. My mother-in-law is receiving excellent care and doing aggressive physical therapy that she hopes will allow her to get back home in time for Christmas.

I am thankful my husband’s back is much better, we have insurance on our home and on our car, and most of our problems are “first world.”

So instead of saying, Look at how stunning my trials are, I will say,

Look at how great my God is!

God protected us from tragedy. He provides for us. He has given us wonderful friends who have upheld us in prayer, delivered meals, lent us cars.

God is good, all the time. He has shown me mercy and deserves my praise.
Even if things had been much worse, I have an eternal hope in Christ which will turn trials to gold one day.

In the book of Revelation, John describes the scene at God’s throne in heaven. Picture ten thousand times ten thousand angels saying,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom andstrength and honor and glory and praise!”

All creatures in heaven and on earth add,

  “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory andpower for ever and ever!”

In Luke chapter two, the famous Christmas reading, a great company of the heavenly host praise God together in similar fashion,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

That’s what I’m talking about. Glory belongs to God, not to our hardships.

May that be our focus this Christmas season.