It was another flight. I tried to stretch out my legs and find a comfortable position as I looked at my watch. Three more hours?! Why did the flights seem to be getting longer and longer?

I looked around me to see if anyone else had trouble falling asleep. It was about 3 a.m. back home, but not here. Somewhere in between earth and sky, rays of light poured in from the windows. I reached over to pull down the blinds but stopped short as I looked out. The picture I saw was breathtaking. Puffy, white clouds danced across a blue sky as our Boeing cut through the heavens. The wing of the plane was right outside our window, and, as if it were a mirror, reflected the white and blue images with perfect accuracy.

I stared at that scene for a few minutes, mesmerized by the shining beauty of the reflection. And then it occurred to me:

The higher the plane was to the clouds, the better the reflection on the wing.

The closer we are to heaven, the better we reflect it.

And the closer we are to Christ, the clearer He will be seen in us.

"As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like Him with an ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18

I took out my camera and quickly snapped a picture. I didn't want to forget that much-needed, beautiful reminder. And now wide awake, I spent the next few hours thinking and praying. How can I show Christ to the teens who grow up in broken families? How can I reflect the Creator amidst the pain and chaos of poverty and sin? How can our marriage point others to the love Christ has for the Church? How can we show that it is possible to build relationships instead of destroying them? How can my life better imitate Christ?

"Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children." Ephesians 5:1

The plane slowly made its descent, and the reflection of the clouds became so vague that it finally faded. But I didn't want the same thing to happen to me. I wanted my soul to cling to my Creator, to be so close to Him that my life would reflect His shining beauty.