by LaNelle Martin
This morning I was sitting on the loveseat in my living room and admiring the stained glass window that we installed earlier this year. My friend JoAnn created this beautiful window to fit this particular spot in our house, which used to be an exterior window in the original house. I enjoy the colors and how they change based on the light and the angle in which they are viewed. Today, my gaze settled on the little mark in the bottom corner—“Jo, 2021.” It is the mark of the maker, the signature of the creator, and it reminds me of God, the Maker and Creator.
The Bible tells us that all nature reveals God as Creator. Romans 1:19-20: “Since what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Psalm 19:1-4: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them, yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” God’s work clearly shows that His hand is behind it.
My window has a variety of colors (jewel tones, selected because I love their intensity and purity), as well as a variety of different types of glass. There are delicately etched designs and pieces of beveled glass. It is all pieced together to create a beautiful design. The window displays the extreme care, order, and precision of the designer.
The Bible tells us that God, the Master Designer, works all things together for good and for His glory when it comes to His people (Romans 8:28). Not only is He revealed in the beauty and complexity of His creation, but also in His work of redemption and salvation. He didn’t just create and then walk away. God created with an eternal plan and purpose in mind. The apostle Paul declared this: “He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him.”
God’s signature as Creator is meant to draw us to Him. We can be like one of those little pieces of glass, reflecting the uniqueness and beauty that God planned in us and becoming a part of His eternal design. Because we naturally choose to go our own way and try to be our own god, we don’t turn to Him on our own accord. But Christ came to reveal the Heavenly Father and reconcile us to Him. In Ephesians 2:12-13, Paul reminds us that we are “without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
JoAnn’s stained glass will always be a reminder of the person who created it. Knowing the creator, who designed it with me in mind, makes the window more beautiful to me and allows me to enjoy it all the more. Knowing the Creator of the universe also makes me rejoice in His creation and His work even more. I am amazed by His wisdom and power and blessed by the beauty that God has displayed. And, as He works out His plan for my life I know that He will use everything that I may encounter to prepare me for the role that He has designed for me, ultimately reflecting His glory and His light.