Pointing to God

This is a photo I took last week in Block Island. It was completely unplanned. I could see through the camera that my uncle was pointing up at something, and I didn't know what, but I snapped a photo anyway. It turns out he was pointing to a rainbow. It had been raining all day but the sun came out just in time to amaze us with this gorgeous sunset, and left a rainbow on the other side of the sky.
     When I look back on this picture, I feel like he is pointing up to God. That's just what it looks like to me.
   Today I was thinking about how everything we do can bring glory to God. How that is our purpose in life. I was picking edamame beans at the farm. It wasn't hard work, but it wasn't really much fun either, and it was pretty slow to fill up two pints all by myself in the hot sun. But it occurred to me that I could pick those beans for the glory of God. I know that sounds kind of crazy. But in reality, every one of our actions has been given to us by the grace of God. So, whether we're doing dishes, math homework, folding laundry (a few of my least favorite things) or singing in church, painting or spackling a wall while on a mission trip (haha), scooping ice cream at work, or spending time reading the bible, we can be bringing glory to God. We can choose to glorify Him in all of those things... or not to.
   But today I realized that I want my whole life, and everything I do to point to God. I want that to be the purpose of my life. Tonight, I was blessed to have one of those times where you just pour everything out in prayer. I was driving home from bible study, listening to music on my dysfunctional cd player, when all the sudden I just turned it off. I love listening to music when I drive, but suddenly I just knew I needed to pray and that the music was in my way. I prayed all the way home, honest, genuine prayer. I had this crazy moment where I was like, "This is it. This is life." I felt pure joy at the fact that I know Christ and can come to him like this. That no matter what happens, I have this. God has me and is not going to let go.
   Ever since I came back from Philly, and even before that, I've been wrestling with my faith and what it means to live my life for Christ. To live my life changed by what He has done. I've struggled with my sin way more this summer than before, and struggled with patience in God's timing and with Him not always giving me what I want. It's been crazy and complicated. But I have grown. And tonight, I just prayed with such authenticity that I would just know Him more. I pray a lot that I would want that, without really truly in my bones wanting it, but tonight I did. I felt God there as I drove home in the dark & silence, felt that following Jesus and serving him was what I wanted in life, and I know that is my purpose in life. To always be pointing to him. I thought again of this picture.
   I just had to write this all down. I'm not always gonna feel this passionate about what I believe, not always going to be this close to God. But I am growing in my desire to know him, and it is amazing to see how he brings that about in me, because I never could find that desire on my own. I hope though, that I will always be moving forward in my faith. That even through the struggling & the mess like I've known this summer, I will know that he is there and that he is all powerful and that he is still the desire of my heart. I honestly always hope my life is about holding my hands upward and bringing glory to the Lord.