GLORY WHERE IT’S DUE

   My grandaughter Natalie and I outdo each other with our Mona Lisa smirk.. er... smile. 3rd&4th image credits: Netflix, Our Planet

Ever heard a painting arguing with it's creator? Here's a sampler: 

Mona Lisa portrait: I don't look that nice. Add a little more smile to my grin.

Leonardo da Vinci: I'm quite happy with it. Your smile exudes mystery. 

Portrait: But I don't like it. What's a portrait if the subject is boring? 

Leonardo: Ah, but I love it! So let it be. 

And it shuts up. 

Of course I just made this up. My apologies, Leonardo. 

The truth is, the Mona Lisa smile has for ages been studied, interpreted and written about—one of the reasons Da Vinci, a genius of his era, is widely regarded as an icon. 

Taking inflation into account, the Mona Lisa fetches today for $2.67 billion—humongous enough to wipe out France's debt, a writer quipped.

And of course I'm using the Leonardo-portrait conversation as a metaphor. Because if truth be told, most of us behave like the Mona in my imagined story.  

"Why am I trapped in this body?" 

"When God poured out ugly, I must have been given the biggest umbrella to catch it all." 

Unknowingly, many of us have taken for granted or pushed our Creator aside, replacing Him with  the lesser gods of self will or pride, money, fame, power. 

“I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul,” wrote William Ernest Henley in his poem Invictus. I once believed that, till I realized it should be the other way around.

What a slap on our Creator. He has from the very start wanted His design, His way, reflected in us. 

Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting is admired the world over. Michelangelo’s Creation painting on the ceiling of Sistine chapel is Rome’s pride. The Mona Lisa has brought Da Vinci glory. 

Just like their works of art reaping accolades for these artists, we too—created beings—must give Him glory, referred to in the original Greek language as an opinion of praise, honor, splendor. 

He gets the glory if we trust and obey Him, because He being Our Creator has fitted us with the wares to not only survive but be a star in this soundstage called life, with Him as our Director. 

We are clay in the Potter’s hands (Isaiah 64:8). He molds and fires and glazes us just like a priceless porcelain fit to adorn a palace. 

Remember where we come from. "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" Genesis 2:7. 

Proof that we're but dust? Wait till you're cremated and your body is reduced to just a bagful of dust. Mud more likely. 

The breath of God sustains us, so He deserves all the glory! The created's purpose is to glorify his Creator. 

Psalms 150:6  “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Nature it seems does it better than us. 

“Praise the Lord from the heavens... angels... hosts... sun... moon...shining stars... waters above the heavens... Praise the Lord from the earth... great sea creatures... all deeps... fire and hail... snow and mist... stormy wind... mountains... hills... fruit trees... cedars... beasts and livestock... creeping things and flying birds...” Psalms 148:1-10. 

I’ve recently started watching Netflix’s “Our Planet” series. And I’m awe-struck. Words are not enough to describe the incredible tapestry of God’s creation, how the nano-est and the biggest of them are so uniquely fashioned—they take my breath away. 

More awe-inspiring is this: everyone has a gig all its own. The krill sustains the squid, salmon, seabirds and whales. Tiny  phytoplanktons are not just their appetizers; these microscopic beings also affect oceanic formation of clouds which are then sucked inland to rain down on us. Lions feast on wildebeests and wildebeests thrive on succulents and grass. 

One giant symphony of life—of dependence and harmony—and God’s unseen yet obvious hand conducting everything to perfection. Simply mind-boggling!

And look at us. We can plan, lead, design, invent, analyze, concoct, compute, compose, act, sing, dance, even fly to the moon. Ever wonder where dust such as us get all that limitless wisdom and daring? 

Life. Sustainability. Creativity. Power. Integrity. All of these and more He’s effortlessly put together to make the earth a habitable place for you and me, courtesy of Jesus our Creator. 

Art collectors pay out-of-this-world prices to possess paintings like the Mona Lisa. Jesus paid the highest price—His shed blood through His death on the cross—to repossess us and guarantee our victory up to the time we leap out of this world into His.  

So please, please, give Him all the glory. Let it be His and His alone.