But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

Yesterday I spoke about removing the veil from our faces, but I do not believe I explained fully what was laid on my heart.  There is so much to unpack when we think of lifting the veil.

More and more I believe we have missed the mark in understanding who we are to be in God and what it means to be Jesus like.  That when we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour a veil is lifted from us, the spirit that we now acknowledge is within us shows us and reveals God’s glory to us and in us.

God made us to be our best selves. So I am to be the best me and you are to be your best you. Each of us striving to be the best human living in harmony with each other and for what is best as a community.  Thus unveiling oneself means we must understand who we are and whose we are.  I have a long list of who we are not, which can be summed up by saying we are not clones of anybody else, but unique persons as our hand prints tell us.  Thus because we are on the path of righteousness and our foundation is sure, it does not give us permission to be unkind, to be egotistical, or to believe that we are the only ones who know what is right. 

We are disciples of Christ following in his footsteps.  Jesus was unique. He was a Jew, but he thought about his Jewishness differently from others.  I suppose you will say that is why he died, because he behaved differently, and you don’t want to be singled out. but that is for another discussion. Jesus drew persons to him, who had different personalities, strong personalities like Peter, like Matthew – it could not have been easy living in a community where most persons did not like or respect you.  There was also John the beloved who wrote a gospel that was very different from the others.  Even the gospels, it is one Gospel, one good news, one story of Jesus walk on this earth, yet they are not all the same, they do not emphazise the same things. There are similarities, there are commonalities, but each has a uniqueness to it, as it seeks to tell the good news in a way that each writer understood it and in a way that each community of new believers could and would understand how best to walk in the ways of Jesus.

This something we too must grapple with. What is our story and how are we going to express our uniqueness so that God can be glorified.  A difficult task as it is easy to follow and not think for ourselves.  It is easier to be liked to not upset the applecart, and to stand up for what we know is the right thing.   On the other hand unveiling yourself is not about being a goody two shoes, or being so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good. 

In coming to a place where you are able to unveil yourself, you recognize that you don’t come to God with the fruit of the Spirit already in your heart and mind, but you come to God knowing that living with God as guide and companion, you will grow in the ways of the Holy Spirit.  We don’t come to God already in the full knowledge of God.  Unveiling ourselves allows us to see what God is offering in a way that makes life more meaningful, more livable. Unveiling ourselves is giving ourselves permission to fully participate in all of life to the fullest. Knowing that the strength of God pilots us, the power of God preserves us the wisdom of God instructs us. The hand of God protects us, The way of God directs us. The shield of God defends us and the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is, all is well. All will be well, all manner of things will be well.  Amen.  

Part 2 of a meditation on 2 Corinthians 3:16-18