Life With Laura: STAINED- GLASS WINDOWS

I spent the weekend in Chicago and saw the most beautiful stained- glass windows in the Smith Museum on Navy Pier yesterday. The light shining through made them a wonder to behold...clearly revealing each intricate design and beautiful burst of color. Walking through the museum though, I was disappointed when I saw a few windows against the wall where no light shone through. They weren't nearly as noticeable, radiant, or pretty as the other ones. I wanted to see them glowing vibrantly. If only the sun or some kind of light had been filtering through so I could see their true beauty. Continuing on, I was happy that the rest of the windows were brilliantly lighted. As I stood admiring the workmanship and the wonderful way the light illuminated them, I thought of Jesus being our true light and remembered a quote that I read just the other day:

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.
~ Elizabeth Kubler Rossefore

Isn't that insightful? Stained-glass windows are beautiful to see in the daytime...standing inside seeing the sunlight stream in. But when it's dark outside, the only way to see the beauty is to have a bright light inside shining outward. I really like her quote. It encourages us to have inner beauty that will shine out to the world.

The bible tells us that Jesus is the true light. (John 1:9) When we let His light shine through us we will begin to reflect that beauty and light to others. When we are confronted with darkness from the outside, the light from inside us can dispel the darkness.

Our lives can be a radiant story of His glory and goodness. When you look at a stained glass window in the dark, the beauty isn't evident. In fact, the dark colors blend in with the wall, making it hard to see anything special about it. In a similar way, if His light isn't shining through us, we tend to blend in with the world. When we reflect His light from inside us, others will know there is a beautiful story to tell.

A couple of my photos of the beautiful windows at museum on Navy Pier

As a side note... Who knew I would love Chicago?

I grew up in the St. Louis area and have never really liked the city. Chicago seemed to have a whole different feel to it. To begin with, it seemed cleaner and safer. And there were so many things to do! The museums were wonderful, the food was good, and once I figured out how to operate it smoothly, the segway was great fun!

(More Pics Below)