Reading this passage makes me realise 2 things - Moses was very human and I am very like Moses.
Moses had the opportunity to reflect the glory of God in his own skin. The Israelites could look on him and see God. So they asked him to cover his face and he did until God's glory had faded from him.
I am the same. People ask me every day to hide God from the world. It comes as part of my job as a teacher in a non-Christian school as well as having non-Christian friends. They always ask me to veil myself. Not that they always mean to but they just don't always understand my choices and ask me to compromise them.
But Paul writes about living a life of boldness. This is not the life of going after everything you want. He is saying that we need to be bold in Christ. Reflect who He is in our life so that when people see us they can see Christ.
This is not always an easy choice. I am not sure how I am going to do this on a daily basis. Like many things in life, we get so used to doing something that when we stop we often are not sure how to live. How do I live without a veil? How do I reflect Jesus in all that I do and still teach my class? How do I reflect Jesus and still keep my relationships with non-Christians? Are they compatible? Am I living the life of 2 masters which Jesus speaks about?
Today I am not so sure. If someone asked me who I reflected today I doubt that I would say that I refelected Christ. Sad but true. After a day of discilpling and working with my students, I feel like that I am merely reflecting me and what I want in my daily life. The veil is there. I look like the teacher everyone expects and I must admit it was comforting to know that my boss thinks that I am an amazing teacher worthy of the job that I have. I have no worries about where I except that I am unsure if it reflects God or me. I am confident in my ability as a teacher and my desire to see the best for my students but ...
This is a problem I have been facing a lot of late. The time is coming. The feeling is there. Though the Lord blesses me in the role I am in, I know that it is not of Him for me to be here. I have one more year here. That is for sure. But from there... prayer is where I am placing my trust.