I would like to define the word glory for you—or perhaps redefine it. I came to know Christ in my college years in Georgia.
Between the underexplanation and overpronunciation of the word (gloooooory), glory was a mysterious and somewhat distasteful word to me. But this word is crucial for our understanding of God, of His creation, and of ourselves. Glory literally means the splendor, abundance, beauty, brilliance, or weightiness (importance) of a thing or person. David gazed at the stars and said that God’s splendor, beauty, and brilliance is clearly seen in His artistry: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Ps. 19:1). In the book of Proverbs we read that the glory (splendor, abundance) of young men is their strength and the glory of older men is their experience and wisdom (Prov. 20:29). When we see something beautiful—a picture, a sunset, a snowcapped mountain range—we call it glorious. We observe someone completely engaged in and enjoying an activity, and we may say they are “in their glory.” Interestingly, we don’t usually say that about a person who is sim- ply doing something well; no, that description is reserved for those moments when we catch someone doing something beyond the level of fulfilling a function. Not something ordinary, but something extraordinary.
