Do You Glow Like Stained Glass?
I’m a lifelong fan of stained glass. I think it’s purty, purty, purty! (That’s my Southern-ese for “pretty.”)
These are windows I photographed at the Church of the Anunciation in Nazareth, Israel. There’s nothing like the beauty of light shining through colorful shapes of glass to delight my eyes… and these were exceptionally lovely!
I nearly fell as I was taking the photos because these particular windows grace the stone walls of a circular staircase, but I just had to try to capture their vibrance.
Do you know why the colors in stained glass look so brilliant? It’s because of value contrast- light against dark. The black leading around the glass makes the color stand out (or “POP!” as I like to say) when placed side by side.
Here’s a cool parallel: The darkness of difficult times in our lives, laid along side the light of Christ in us, makes our faith “POP!” as well.
2 Corinthians 4:6 says:
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
That means… as He shines in us and through us, we can “POP!” with His light just like these beautiful stained glass windows.
Here’s a true confession: Lots of times I have squealed, “LORD, GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!” the minute that life gets tough.
The beauty of stained glass reminds me to cry out, “LORD, please shine Your light through me- like light through stained glass- during this tough time,” instead.
Sometimes when life feels really heavy and dark, I can forget that it’s His opportunity to shine in and through me. When He does that through me and through you and through the church, collectively it looks beautiful like this…
… and it lights the world!
So the next time you look at some beautiful stained glass, remember it’s a picture of Jesus’ light shining through us into this dark old world. I like that imagery! :)