I was listening to Building 429’s “Glory Defined” a while back, and I actually though of the titular line literally: What does “glory” mean? Just how do you define it? I know that’s not exactly what the song means, but it inspired some interesting thoughts.
There are some words in Christianity that are part of the lingo–you probably know ’em: holy, amen, hallelujah, grace–and of course, glory. In my personal story of Christianity, I can tell you that I was using these words LONG before I knew what they actually meant. I mean, you can’t be a Christian without saying, “Hallelujah!!!” or “Amen!” all of the time, right? But I’ve taken an interest in finding out exactly what these words mean–I want a deliberate relationship with Christ, and if I can’t tell you exactly what I mean when I say, “Hallelujah” … well, I think it’s worth exploring.
Now before I get into the “meat and potatoes” of the post, I want to state this as sort of a disclaimer: there are certainly some spiritual experiences that can’t be explained with mere words. That’s the nature of spirituality, in fact. I don’t think that all of my experiences with God can be explained using simply human rationality. In fact, these experiences transcend what is rational. My simple point in this post is that I think it’s important to be intentional with what we say instead of just using “buzzwords” that we may not understand. I think when we really understand what “grace” means or what “holy” means, we can deepen our relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
I think sometimes we just tend to repeat whatever we hear, even if we don’t understand it. I remember when I was a little kid being shocked that “elemeno” wasn’t a part of the alphabet … that it was actually “L-M-N-O”. But more properly applied to Christianity, I can tell you that it was only within the past few years that I actually thought about what the prayers that I have been saying for years actually meant. The dinner prayer? Up until recently, I’ve said it like this:
“Blessesolordandthesethygifts, wichwereabouttoreceive, throughthybounty, throughchristorlord, amen.”
I’m afraid the Lord’s Prayer was much the same (I used to think that “Our Father who Art in Heaven” meant that God was in heaven in front of an easel making paintings). Since I’ve really been seeking God I’ve finally taken these prayers apart and actually realize what it is that I’m saying, and it has made all the difference. What I’m saying here is let’s not just go through the motions; let’s make sure that we’re being intentional–let’s make sure we’re honoring God with our hearts and not just our lips (See Matt 15:8 and Isaiah 29:13). Instead of just carrying out traditions that we’ve been raised up in, let’s put some meaning behind them.
So, over the next few posts, I hope to actually discuss what these often-used words actually mean and then I want to conclude with what I think the song “Glory Defined” actually meant when they said, “I wake up to find Your glory defined.”
Open the Eyes of My Heart 