Purpose of Unveiled

The most precious moment of my life happened this summer at church camp in Panama City, Florida. It wasn't during the bible studies, the worship, or the infamous evangelical night where everyone is brought to tears. It happened one morning when I literally fell out of bed. Not just any bed, but a three tiered bunk bed far from the cold, unforgiving tiles below. God simply chuckled, took my hand, led me to a lone chair near the shore, and asked me to sit with Him for a while. Disgruntled as I was, God revealed His glory to me in the beauty of His creation. I sat alone on the beach with my Bible in my lap, a notebook resting on the arm of the chair, and my camera faithfully hanging from my neck as I the sun rose over the horizon. The wind flipped the pages of my Bible until my eyes fixed on the these verses:

"Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18

"What veil?" I asked myself. Here is what God taught me: In Exodus, when Moses was summoned to Mount Sinai to receive God's covenant with Israel, he saw God's glory. He became so filled with it that his face literally glowed. When he returned from the mountain, the Israelites were so frightened by his radiance (seriously, how would you react if you saw a man with a glowing face?) that Moses had to cover himself with a veil. But there was another reason for the veil; because Moses couldn't remain in in God's presence, his radiance faded. He thus hid his face so no one would notice the diminishing light of glory.

But thanks to our precious savior, Jesus Christ, we are not like Moses!

When we turn to Jesus, the veil of pride, a hard heart, and a refusal to repent is removed and we are free to live our lives completely for God with no reservations. We can live in the unfading glory of God's Holy Spirit and radiance without having to hide it! Though I am so full of sin and haunted by things I'm not proud of, I hope to truly live my life unveiled, reflecting God's glory in all circumstances, completely transformed in the likeness of Christ.

God taught me something of immeasurable value that early morning on the beach. Life is too beautifully complex for amateurs like me to be allowed to write it. He asked me to give Him the pen of my life and allow Him, the Master Author, to script my story. This blog serves as mere commentary (silly and serious and anything in between) on how He guides and directs me according to His perfect plan. Enjoy.

Jessie