When I started publishing—first the journal, then the coloring book—I made a conscious decision: I would sign each work with my version of a Soli Deo Gloria. I wanted my life and the work of my hands to give praise to God and to acknowledge that I couldn’t and can’t do anything without him.
It might be a small gesture, but it seems like a large one, especially when I first made the decision. It was the first of many steps toward sharing my faith, giving expression to who God is, what he has done and is doing. It was a risk, and it frightened me.
I knew I had to take that step, though. To do anything less would be wrong and would only weigh on my mind, heart, and spirit. I had to point to God. I had to choose to be holy, set apart to the Lord.
I still do. My Soli Deo Gloria is an act of remembrance, a reminder, and a promise. In the remembering, I travel the path of where I was to where I am now, and—it’s amazing. I’m not even sure how I’ve gotten to this point, but I’m here.
The statement also is a reminder. It keeps me aware that I am nothing on my own, everything I am, have, and do comes from God. He has given me these talents and abilities. He desires that I use them to glorify him and draw other people to himself. He asks that I bring my “loaves and fishes” to him and let him multiply them, transform them into something else, something I can’t even begin to imagine.
Finally, the Soli Deo Gloria is a promise. It gives me hope on the days when I’m so tired of myself that I want to quit. It says to press onward even when I’m horrible to my mom and my friends. It tells me to persevere and persevere and persevere
because
I’m not doing any of this on my own. God initiated life in me, and he will conclude it. He is my beginning, middle, and end. He will see me through, and it’s because of that I give him all the glory and praise. He loves me and gave himself up for me so that I could be reconciled to him. He is and always will be more than enough.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope!