the reminder

We have been out exploring again, off on a family vacation.  It seems so simple to many people, perhaps, to plan a vacation and head out on the road with their families.  But for us, the experiences we have been having these last few days feel so new and free because they would not have been attainable.  Before. 

I will be saying more about this time away and the wonderful things we have seen and done.  But not today.  For now, all I want to do is reflect a bit on something unexpected we saw on our first day.  As we were driving through Illinois, in the midst of a long stretch of farmland, this is what I saw just off the side of the road:

I was so moved by what I saw on the rooftop of that barn that, after pointing it out to Steve, I decided to turn our van around and go back to capture the image with a photo.  I didn't want to drive off and forget what I had seen.  Someone, sometime in the past... who knows when or how long ago, had planned the message on that barn rooftop.  This phrase, "TO GOD BE THE GLORY," was not simply painted onto some surface.  It was a part of the design and placement of the differently colored shingles on the roof of a barn.  This message required effort.  Why would someone go through so much effort, in a place that wasn't exactly going to be seen by lots and lots of people?  The answer is tied up in the message itself:  To God be the glory!  In all that we do, no matter what that might be or who might or might not 'see' it, may it be for God's glory!  This is part of what I want my mission to be in my life.  Certainly not all of what I do might be considered to be important or notable, and some of what I have to do some days might not even seem appealing, but within each task in my life, big or small, is the same opportunity... to serve God, and to do everything I do for God's glory.  Do I always accomplish this ideal?  Well... no.  But I'm working on it, and I'm going to keep at it today, and tomorrow, and forever.