Dear Amy,

What is it about those who love the Lord with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength which is so profoundly attractive?

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

― Psalm 34:5

When John had a vision on the island of Patmos of the risen Lord Jesus, he tried to describe the indescribable for us, concluding:

His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

― Revelation 1:16

You can’t look at the sun, it’s far too bright. Any attempt even to look nearby overloads our retina, so all else fades into nothing. And so it is with the Lord.

The Lord himself is the source of the radiance. Ours is merely a reflection, unlikely to cause blindness, but bright and shining nonetheless, and enormously attractive to those who don’t have it. How does this work, then? We must consider how to be those who look to him.

It starts with forgiveness⸺their faces are never covered with shame. All is forgiven, all debt is cancelled and all shame is gone. This is the glorious truth that underpins everything we are as children of God. Rejoice in that forgiveness!

It continues with hope. As we look to the Lord, we look with the hope that notwithstanding all that we have already received, his work in us is not yet complete. There’s more to come, and what is to come is so certain and so very good, and so much more than we could possibly ask or imagine. This is our source of joy, our source of radiance.

And so we love the Lord, with a grateful heart that magnifies that love, and irrepressible hope that fuels it with tremendous power. When someone is in love, absolutely captivated, they have a glow about them, evidenced in shining eyes and wonder. This is powerful and joyous, and others desire it. May we know this as we look to the Lord.

Look to him, Amy, bask in his glory which shines like the sun in all its brilliance, and be radiant! 🙏