 “I was recently invited to speak at a women’s event titled “Glory to Glory.” As the first speaker, I was asked to unpack the meaning of the word “glory” and I was honestly stunned during my research by the complexity of it. Mainly because I had gotten so used to hearing it. “Glory” is one of those words we use so often in Christiandom that we can forget what it means. “God we give you glory…” At Christmas in all the Church plays we quote the angel saying, “Glory to God in the highest.” “All glory and honor and power…” We’ve all heard some iteration of this, right? But what are we really talking about when we use the word “glory?” Dictionary.com defines glory as, “High renown or honor won by notable achievements. Magnificence or great beauty. To take great pride or pleasure in.” So on a very basic level, here are some ways we understand “glory”: My husband is the co-owner of an investment company and they flip houses. They find really ugly, abandoned homes and put them back into working order. One of the homes completed recently was a historic home in Rock Hill. It was so old it had cast iron pipes. It was beautiful but completely run down and, as they chipped off the old paint, they realized this house had incredible bones. So they worked hard to restore the original wood floors and brought this historic home back to life. Another way to say this would be: They brought the house back its former glory. Or maybe you’re with your friends at dinner, reminiscing about old times. You may refer to those past years as the “glory days,” right? They had renown, there was honor won, magnificence, great beauty, pride, pleasure. This is “glory.” But now let’s take a look at our theme verse for this ebook: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. -2 Corinthians 3:18 To understand glory here in this context, we have to start with the Hebrew word used here for “glory” which is “kavod” and in its most simple form means “weight.”* Initially when we see this viewed in the Bible it’s directly referring to how heavy something is. But it’s also used metaphorically to reveal how important something or someone is. It speaks to God’s splendor and honor and literally refers to thickness that can be felt at times in His presence. When we see the word glory elsewhere in the Bible, it is sometimes in Greek and is the word “doxa” which is indicative of majesty, praise and the brightness of God.** If you are on a worship team or choir, you may have sung a “doxology” which is any kind of short hymn or verse that praises God. So we’re going to ball that all up together and work from this definition of the word “glory”: Glory references God’s renown and His presence as bright and weighty. When we encounter God’s glory, we cannot shake what we have seen. We are so humbled that we are moved to worship and give Him praise, resulting in our own transformation of becoming more like Christ…” This is the intro for my newest ebook “Glory”. I’d love for you to keep following along by downloading your free copy. Drop in to listen to the audiobook on the “Miracle in the Mess” Podcast (releasing October 3, 2024) if that’s more your style. And let’s keep unpacking how “glory” impacts everything.
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