Stained Beauty

I'm probably over thinking this.... But aren't stained glass windows strange? 

They're beautiful. But strange.

Ok, let me explain my thought process. Stained glass windows have been used to depict beautiful images of the saints, Angels, biblical verses, Mary etc. They're amazing. The other day I was in our church. It was the middle of the day and it was empty. I looked back at the stained glass image above the choir loft. The light from outside was shining so bright that I couldn't even make out the image. I did what most 21st century, techno savvy (cough-cough) people would do. I took a pic to post on Instagram. 

Stained window at our parish (excuse the grainy photo)

Stained beauty...

That's what comes to mind. We are all stained in some way. God takes this stain and turns it into something amazing. Something beautiful. Not by removing the stain, but by shining through it. Think of the saints. Their lives on earth were not perfect. Their lives were difficult, some lived through immense internal and external suffering. Yet they continued to seek holiness. A more perfect way in an imperfect life. They continued to seek God even if they didn't see Him.  They allowed God's light to shine through them. To depict His beauty through their stains. They became stained glass windows through which we see God's beauty. 

We would notice God's light through  unstained windows, but would we notice the beauty? His beauty is fully revealed through stains on a glass. And isn't it funny that sometimes the image on a window only makes sense when we look out from inside the church? It's as if our 'stains' only make sense when we see them in the presence of Christ. The stainless One. 

I don't know.... Maybe I'm over thinking this. It's just a stained glass window.

I'll be praying for you xx