Reflective Dust

“That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, "Yes, you think you know me and where I'm from, but that's not where I'm from. I didn't set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don't know him at all.” (John 7:28-29 MSG)

Have you ever wondered why it looks dark in outer space? Shouldn’t the sun and all the other stars of the universe light up everything?  Well, one of the reasons for this is that humans can only see the visible spectrum of light. Our eyes can’t detect light unless it reflects off of something and hits our retinas. The dust in our atmosphere enables us to see sunlight during daytime. From the moon, space looks black even if you are facing the sun. This is because the moon has no atmospheric layer of dust. When we see a lily, what we are actually seeing is the light reflected off of the flower. We  have learned to label that pattern of light as ‘flower’ and ‘beautiful’ in our minds. Next time we see the same flower or something similar, our brains use our previous experience to make sense of this particular arrangement of light.  

Many of us think we understand the world around us. We look at the visible light that bounces off of dust and call it reality. Many of us also think we know God. Jesus reflected the Father, making the radiant light of God visible to humans. However, humans often see their preconceptions instead of the glory of God. We are merely transient dust, reflecting our surroundings.

If we had spiritual vision, we would be able to see the invisible light that surrounds us in every direction. We would recognize the power and goodness of God in our lives, know what to call it, and be eager to point it out to others.

Lord, grant me spiritual vision, so that I may recognize and affirm your glory.

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