Displaying the Splendor

I am a Texan through and through.  It has for years been my dream to move back to Texas, but I’m pretty sure that will never happen.So I decided to bring Texas to Florida—to my family room.  I have acquired several genuine Texas items, including a saddle, an old tin Texas flag, bluebonnet coasters, a wild horse sculpture, a lone star paperweight  and many others.But I needed a just-right piece to go above our fireplace.  I found it when I was in Galveston with my mother and sisters.  On the wall of a fabulous art gallery was an awesome G. Harvey painting called “Turning the Lead."   It portrays a dark and stormy night; the moon is breaking through the clouds, reflecting in the puddles on the red dirt. Two weathered cowboys are attempting to turn the lead steer and thus stop the stampeding herd of longhorns.I ordered a print, and when it came, I spent hours picking out just the right frame and matting for the picture and for our home. The mottled rust colored frame picked up the red dirt. The beige, suede matting provided lightness and texture. Both were perfect for displaying the beauty of the painting.When I brought the framed picture home—and my sweet husband painstakingly hung it—I was awestruck. I turned off all the lights but the one highlighting the art. Yes, the frame was just right. And the suede matting was unique. But I didn’t focus on them. They did their job of framing the beauty of the painting—of displaying its splendor. And that is what I looked at, enjoyed, appreciated.That’s how it is with God.  He says to each of us, "You are my servant, in whom I will display my splendor.” (Isaiah 49:3) We are designed to reflect Him and His glory. So He carefully crafts us—through creation, giftedness, circumstances—to make us the perfect frame and matting to beautifully display His splendor.What a great privilege and high calling to display the splendor of God! c2011 Judy Douglass