{Bright, glowing, reflecting something or someone greater than themselves}

This is the definition I have given the word “radiant”.

Close your eyes. Imagine radiant. Maybe if you are between the ages of 17 & 25 you see a bride. You know that glow they talk about? (Thanks to TLC’s Bride Day Friday, I know. I also am ruined by all of the 10,000 dollar dresses they buy.)

She seems to always radiate–this girl I am thinking of. It’s not the color of her skin, though it is beautiful. It’s not her hair, though it is flawless (she is the poster child for “I woke up like this”). It’s not even because she has her life together, because it seems as if she does. It is that “God is my master, and I am so blessed to be His servant” glow she radiates.  It is literally a glow. Literally–yes I still use that word. It’s a legit joy she has so deep inside her, and it always seems to find a way to bubble out. (If you have legit joy, I dare you to try holding it back.)

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Psalm 34:4-5

When I look to Him, I should be radiant.

First look; the trend where the bride and groom meet each other right before the wedding in order to take care of the pictures. Tradition is that the fist time the groom sees the bride the day of the wedding is as she walks down the aisle.  Whether or not the bride and groom decide to do it the traditional way or this new way, the bride still radiates.

I picture Christ as the anxious groom, and us as the eager, radiant bride. When we look to him, we shouldn’t be able to hold back the glow–the joy–the love–we have for our groom.

We are that bride.

Are we that bride?

Or are we a bridesmaid?

Mom and I have this thing when we go to a wedding, we can always pick out who is the salty bridesmaid. Now, Mel probably doesn’t know what salty means. But, we can always know when there is a bridesmaid who is more upset that the bride is leaving her than she is happy for the bride to get married. The not-so-happy tears, blank face, and sometimes even a scowl give her away.  Are we the person that can find the worst part of a beautiful, exciting, perfect day and dwell on it? Do we seek to find wrong in the groom? Sometimes I am jealous of the radiant girl. I’m jealous of the one who gets to be the bride. The one who seems to walk so near to God. Instead of being excited about her love for Him, I envy her and try to think of why I can’t be her. Her. Everyone wants to be the bride, but so few are willing to get to know the Groom.

I have this fear of looking ridiculous in my wedding gown. Traditionally brides wear white. Traditionally I do not tan. (I have my mothers skin.) My concern is that I will look like a pair of floating eyeballs on my wedding day.  Mom keeps saying, “Oh Addie, when its your wedding day you’ll just be so happy you’ll have the wedding day glow.”  I hope that it’s not a myth.  When it is my wedding day, I want to radiate my love for my groom so much that no one talks about my dress, my hair, or the creative way I incorporated “something blue”,  but they can’t help but gossip about the love beaming out from me.

This is how it should be with our God. His love for me is deeper and wider than any love my future spouse could ever show, and I should be RADIANT because of its great effect on my heart.  My future husband’s love can not and will not compete with my Heavenly Father’s love.  And so overall, I should radiate because of Him, not him.

Because of my Lord’s love I choose to beam–radiate–the love poured out for me on the cross and continually in the life I’ve been given.

The NLT says in Hebrews 1:3

“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.”

Goal: As the Son radiates God’s glory, I want to choose to put away my own envy of the others’ relationships with the Father and use that energy to emit my own rays of joy and the very character of God. The only way that this is possible is through intentionally seeking God in real and practical ways. What are others’ thoughts at their first look at you? 

A. WOW. He/She radiates the Father.

B. Look at his/her _______. 

 

I’ll post about the practical ways I have chosen to seek the Lord. Comment below the ways you’ve chosen to seek God and become a better bride of Christ.