In today’s Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer, we find these words from Psalm 34 (verses 4 and 5):

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

Although we have no way of knowing for sure, it could be that the psalmist was thinking about the story of Moses from Exodus 34. When Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the tablets of God’s covenant in his hands, his face was radiant from having been in the Lord’s presence – so much so that the people were afraid to come near him.

While I’m not sure that we’d want spending time with God to make others afraid of us, isn’t it intriguing (and perhaps a little convicting) to think that those who “look to the Lord” reflect His glory in a way that others can see?

So, what’s the “radiance quotient” of your face as you embrace this first Monday of the New Year? May the Light of Christ so fill you that God’s radiance will overflow your life to bless the lives of others.