Glimpses of Glory on a Front Porch

We often find ourselves searching for the extraordinary life-altering events that promise to flood us with peace and reveal some deeper truth. But what if those glimpses of something truly amazing, something like the heavens opening up, are happening all around us in the quiet moments of our everyday lives?

This week, from the simple vantage point of my front porch, I experienced just such a revelation. It wasn't a vision of angels descending and ascending on Jesus as Nathanial was promised to see, but it was a moment saturated with a quiet, undeniable beauty. The sky, ablaze with the orange and red of a setting sun, painted a masterpiece across the horizon. Birds (martins) danced in the golden light. The first hesitant and shy drops of rain began to flop on the pavement, a reminder of the earth's constant renewal.

Each of these moments, beautiful in their own right, could easily be overlooked in the rush of my daily life. But it was the presence of my 22-year-old daughter sitting nearby that made this scene into something truly extraordinary. This young woman, a few days from marriage and fresh from her college graduation, filled with hope, dreaming of new beginnings, and watching life itself unfold in front of her taught me to stop and SEE. We were sharing the silence. A profound moment was felt, a sense of peace and joy that transcended the ordinary. It was, in essence and for me, a glimpse of heaven on earth.

How often do we get caught in the trap of seeking out the negative, dwelling on the challenges and disappointments that always come our way? We scroll through news feeds filled with unrest, we focus on our own anxieties and worries, and in doing so, we risk missing the beauty that surrounds us.

The scriptures themselves encourage us to open our eyes and see the glory of God reflected in His creation. Psalm 19:1declares, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Even Jesus, in his teachings, pointed to the simple beauty of the natural world as a reflection of divine care. He asked in Matthew 6:28-29, "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." Although you couldn’t tell my daughter that, when it’s time to go shopping.

Perhaps the key lies in shifting our focus and intentionally seeking out those moments of divine interaction. Philippians 4:8 tells us to focus on the true, noble, just, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy things. These moments might not always be dramatic or earth-shattering, but they hold a quiet power, a gentle reminder of the goodness and beauty that still exists in the world and in the connections we share with those we love.

That evening on the front porch serves as a reminder. Heaven doesn't always descend in a blaze of glory (not a Bon Jovi reference at all. Haha); sometimes, it whispers in the gentle patter of rain, sings in the melody of birdsong, and radiates in the quiet presence of a loved one. Let’s cultivate the habit of seeking out these glimpses of glory Let us recognize the extraordinary within the ordinary, and in doing so, perhaps we'll find that heaven is closer than we ever imagined.