What does it really mean to glorify God?

I woke up at 430 to a boy who cried yet again in his sleep. Since I went to bed at 830, that woke me up for good. :)

As I lay there, hoping that I would sleep some more I started ruminating over various thoughts I"ve been having lately. What is the role of submission in my life as married woman, what role does submission play in worship, what is "chief end of man", what does it really mean to glorify God in all that I do and such forth.

This is what the Westminster Catechism says:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,[1] and to enjoy him forever.[2]

The support scripture comes from: [1]Psalm 86 and [2]Psalm 16:5-11.

So just how do I glorify God in all that I do?

I have to admit that I think actions speak louder than words. They speak louder than thoughts. What a person does means more than what they think or feel. For instance, the child who says no to a request but then quietly ends up doing it, is an obedient child in the end.

BUT God's words says that what a person has in their heart comes out of their mouth, so that shows the importance of what we think and feel...and how we must hold that captive as well.

So glorifying God I think also means we need to seriously watch what we think and feel as well. But how do I do that? If I stopped and asked God for repentance for every time I thought a selfish thought, then I would never get anything done in the course of a day. Seriously, sometimes I am such a self-centered woman it's ridiculous! It really is! It is a constant battle.

I can admit that most of the time, I don't act on my thoughts. I get frustrated by something, or resentful, or "argh!", but I let it go (quickly 97% of the time) and I do something OTHER than what I was thinking. BUT is that really glorifying God - the fact that I act differently then I think? God knows what the true state of my heart is so my actions don't fool him. :) OR is he pleased that I don't act like I think?

Just how do I glorify God?

I am learning more and more that truly worshipping God and Truly glorifying him is to submit everything to him. To not be self-centred but God-centred. It's hard though. It is just SO easy to get frustrated by stuff in life, to think but that's not how I want it done, or that's not how I would do things or why can't that person be more like me in this area? It's stupid. It shows just how pervasive sin is.

I so want to be person who sees the joy of the Lord in my life. I want to be able to glorify God in all that I do...as a Sunday School teacher, as a wife, as a mom, as a daughter.... Sometimes though I think ARGH!!!!! I will never be able to hold all my thoughts captive, I will never change my first thoughts in thinking and so forth.

I don't know folks.....what do YOU think about all this?