Glimpses of Greatness
A strange thing happened to me some time back when my husband and I met a guest speaker at church. As introductions were being made, the man gave me what I would describe as a queer, second glance—not the kind of glance that leaves you feeling victimized, or your many faults and weaknesses exposed; it was as though my flaws didn’t even exist. It seemed he’d caught a glimpse of something good and was pleasantly surprised by it.
No words were exchanged, no mention was made of what he saw or what he thought. I promise you the man doesn’t even remember me. But I remember because a truth that had grown sorely vague in the shadows of my glaring imperfections suddenly came to light through the fleeting second glance of a stranger.
Christ in us, the hope of glory. Christ in me, that’s what he saw; I’m convinced. In that one God-ordained moment, I felt like a heavenly beam had singled me out and God granted someone a quick peek, only for an instant, mind you, at what I longed to see in myself, but couldn’t. Dare I say it? —at glory beneath the ordinariness of my humanness, at greatness, worth, and beauty far beyond my earthly existence. [i]
How generous God is to give us the “gift of greatness” in Christ. How ingenious of Him to then invite us to unwrap this wondrous Gift through faith, to discover new depths of Him by way of revelation, gaining confidence in our greatness in Him through one grace after another. All the while, hiding Christ’s glory in our commonplace, concealing His beauty by our humility, disguising His worth as servanthood. [ii]
One day our imperfections will be but vague memories of the past (if even that) because we see Him face to face. Then will we fully comprehend our richness in His immeasurable worth, our radiance in His indescribable beauty, our greatness as kings and priests who reign with Him in the unequaled splendor of His glory [iii]
Christ in us, our hope of glory. Seen by God in fullness now and always. Revealed to us by degrees and over time . . . and on occasion through the fleeting second glance of a stranger.
[i] Colossians 1:27 [ii] The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle; chapter 4, The Longing for Greatness; Philippians 1:6; [iii] 1 Corinthians 13:12; Colossians 3:3–4 AMP; Matthew 16:27; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 5:10