Glory

John Ortberg, author and speaker, defines glory as such; “Glory is that particular excellence of a thing that makes it praiseworthy”. The glory of a sunset is its’ beauty. The glory of an actor is his believability. There is a glory of a flower, an ocean, a mountain, an antelope, an eagle, a perfectly implement kick off return, or a masterfully played piano.

We are designed to detect and express glory. It’s what it means to be human. If you see something glorious(a beautiful day, a young puppy, the Grand Canyon, a spectacular mountain top) you want to tell somebody. It’s part of the joy. And if you see somebody who is glorious, it's even better. When we tell somebody that they are gloriously wonderful, and they receive the praise, they are pleased by it, they delight in the praise, then you get to be blessed by their reception of it. It strengthens the relationship. And in some profound and deep way, you share in their wonderfulness. That is glorious.

When we try to bring glory to ourselves, we just end up looking…like this. Here is a scene depicting a new boss trying to look important and popular in front of an employee.

It just doesn’t work. People can see right through you when you attempt to bring glory to yourself. 

This brings me to the Dance Like Zach movement and what we do. We tell others of their glory. We bring love and appreciation into the world. We tell a woman she is beautiful the way she is, even when the world says she needs a certain makeup, or clothing, or a certain dress size to be beautiful. We tell a man he is strong, even though the world tells him he needs to drive a certain car, lift a certain amount of weight, have a certain amount of money to be strong. We give life to those who the world says they don’t have a chance. We give purpose to those that march with us.

C.S. Lewis, author of the famed Chronicles of Narnia, wrote a book entitled, “The Weight of Glory”. Near the end, he writes this,

“It may be asked what practical use there is in the speculations which I have been indulging. I can think of at least one such use.

It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.”

Let us carry the glory of our neighbor in humility today.