Yesterday, I had this whole post written about how awesome it was that Clemson won the National Championship Monday night (and it was awesome), but the one thing I kept going back to was something I heard Dabo say during a press conference leading up to the big game:
Let the light inside of you shine brighter than the light shining on you.
(paraphrase)
I love this, and this phrase has kept popping into my mind over the past few days. It reminds me of one of my favorite passages from the Bible:
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV) emphasis mine
When I heard that phrase, I started thinking about my life, and specifically, my light. What light am I shining into those around me? When people see me and talk to me, do they see God's light shining in my life? What are things I can do to shine God's light?
We all play so many different roles - wife, mom, friend, employee/employer, volunteer, and on and on, and in each of these roles, we have people looking to us. I hope that in all my roles, those around me see God's light.
Does this mean I have to be perfect? Does this mean I can't get frustrated or upset? Does this mean I have to have it all together? No, and thank goodness, because I'm certainly not those things. What it means is that I need to live in a way that shines God's light.
If I'm having a rough day at work, instead of snapping at someone for walking in while I'm in the middle of preparation for a big project, I can be gentle and kind and put my focus on that person.
If my kids are bickering over something (more than likely Nerf guns and what games to play in my house), instead of fussing, I can try to solve the disagreement in a quiet manner. If they don't want to do homework, want a short order meal, and just won't listen, I can take a deep breath before getting upset.
If I'm in the middle of something and someone calls me for something, I can talk for a few minutes to make sure there's nothing that has to be done and then politely call back later.
I don't know about you, but as I sit here thinking about ways I can shine God's light, I think about many little things that I can do differently to show others Jesus.
Last night, we read about Zacchaeus which turned into a talk about kids at school who just aren't nice and some that bully others. We talked with the boys about how even though some kids aren't nice, we don't always know what they may be dealing with.
Our kids are fortunate to have parents who love and invest in them. They don't want for anything and they know they are loved. But as we explained to them, there are children at their school who take home bags of food each weekend because their families are in need. There are kids who don't know where their next meal will come from and don't have anyone that will help them with their homework or make them take a bath.
We encouraged the boys to always be nice to these kids, for they don't know what they have going on outside of school. We talked to them about how just being nice is sharing Jesus.
While it's a simplistic example, it's one that works for all of us. It's so easy to get wrapped up into me, me, me that we forget about those around us - even those closest to us. We all have things going on - stresses, decisions to make, things we wish we could change - but the way we act under these pressures and react to those around us whether they're in our home or people we pass by on the street each day, show what we're made of and Who we worship.
Let your light shine. There's always a light shining on you by the audience around you, but let the light within you shine brighter. Be Jesus to the world.Labels: faith
