Glory of GodSample

When the days are darkest

I recently lost my mum to Alzheimer’s. There were moments along the way when I felt that I would break. There are moments in life that seem so heavy, so dark, that we can hardly see the way through. We experience loss, pain, betrayal, or deep sorrow – and in those moments it feels like all the light has gone out of our world.

We often think of God’s glory as something visible, something that lifts us up, makes us feel good, or brings about visible blessings. In fact, often we can confuse our glory moments for His. But the glory of God is not limited to moments of triumph and success. Through the final months, and particularly days, of Mum’s life, it seems His glory was revealed most profoundly in the very moments where I felt the weakest, most broken, and most alone.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul writes, ‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us’. When life seems like it’s falling apart, when we’re crushed under the weight of our circumstances, it’s then that God's power becomes evident. He takes our brokenness and reveals His strength in ways we can’t comprehend. His glory is shown in our weakness, and it’s in the darkness that His light shines most clearly. In the quiet of a palliative care ward, His glory shone through kind words, comforted tears, moments of unexpected joy and His ever-present peace.

May we always make way for His glory, above our own.

Written by SUSIE HOLT