I know it’s a cheesy-looking AI photo, but bear with me 🙂 Hear me out!

The veil is an element of Christian history that has always fascinated me. Reading 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 has profoundly captured my mind. 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (CSB)

Earlier in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul shares about the veil and Moses. I’m reminded of the fading glory and the need for the veil in Moses’ time. The glory that shone on Moses’ face was real, but it did not last. Moses was the middleman – the leader who encountered God.

The difference now, in the new covenant, is Jesus. Paul reveals that when people read the old covenant, the veil remains, but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. When Jesus died on the cross, everything changed. 

We entered into a new promise, a new covenant, with God. We are no longer separated or shielded. We have direct access. And, with direct access, we achieve clarity. We see clearly. 

Jesus, the Holy Spirit, enters our being. Reading this scripture, the 17th and 18th verses of 2nd Corinthians moved my spirit. It grabbed my attention, made me pause, reflect, and become overcome in gratitude for the love of our Lord. The veil was torn, opening up an entirely new living experience for us with Jesus Himself taking up residence in our own hearts. 

As I continue to read and move through this scripture, the phrase, ‘beholding the glory of God,” in the ESV version, the word ‘beholding’ stands out in a visual way. Combined with the CSB version that references a mirror image, I began to see this story unfold powerfully. It’s truly eye-opening and life-changing. 

I imagine myself holding an ancient, polished metal mirror, gazing into it, and seeing my human image. An image that grows older, diminishes in shine, but suddenly encounters the Lord. I imagine the veil being torn, and as I stay focused on Him in my life, I become more like Him. Isn’t that the goal? Moses experienced a temporary glory, but with the Holy Spirit in us, our reflection, our life, becomes a steady glow. 

We are being transformed. It is not a one-time change, but a steady transformation that happens every single day. More and more, we become like Him, and we carry His light with us. The more we look to Him, the more we begin to see Him in us. Our daily walk, our daily reliance, and our daily focus on Him help our transformation continue. Sin distorted our image, but through Christ, our image, our reflection becomes clearer. 

What are you focusing on? What we focus on, we become. 

Focus on fear, you reflect anxiety.

Focus on the world, you reflect worldly values.

Focus on Jesus, you reflect His character, His glory, His glow.

What are you focusing on? 

My prayer is that we look in the mirror and see His glory in us, becoming us, and shining His light everywhere we go. I pray that every place my feet step, I sprinkle the glory of God so that when I leave, those I have encountered feel the presence of God there. May they say “she’s different” and “I want what she has.” I have the living God living inside of me, and you can too. 

Let your light shine. Be the light. Be the one who points them to Christ.