When I was little, I used to be scared of the dark. I would turn off my bedroom light, then take a running leap onto my bed so that the scary monster hiding underneath wouldn’t be able to grab my ankles and pull me under. I would quickly crawl under the covers and pull them up to my chin, certain that the blanket’s protection would save me from all harm.
As I grew older, the monster morphed. Failure, feeling unloved and shame became the monsters I ran from. I thought if I could just wrap myself up in the protection of being loved, making good grades, landing the perfect job, or being a great mom, that these fears I had would disappear and I would be at peace.
I knew who God was, but I didn’t live for him. I was too busy hiding, searching for that protection that I thought would make me feel happy and safe. I wanted to live my life, my way. I sought success on my terms. But no matter my efforts, there was always something missing.
Do you feel like I did? Always seeking ways to find love, to do better, to achieve more, to do something that matters? What are your monsters?
It’s easy to lose our identity in the fast-paced life that we have created, running from these fears and chasing our idols. Maybe we never truly found our identity in the first place. Our spirits long for peace and joy. We may feel disconnected from God, even if we are going to church every Sunday. Shame from our past may weigh us down and keep us from connecting with others in a meaningful way. We were not designed to carry these burdens on our own.
For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:8-10
We are called to be God’s light in the world. Even though we have sinned. Even though we were once darkness. Even though we may have told him no a hundred times. He calls us to shine our light and find the fruit that grows as a result. God desires for us to seek him, to draw near to him and find out what pleases him. He knows our darkness well, but He still longs for our lives to glorify Him.
He knows our darkness well, but He still longs for our lives to glorify Him.
LOVE GOD. To shine our light for God, I believe we must turn from our darkness and draw near to God. We must seek him through prayer, then be still and listen. When the Lord gently directs us, we have a choice to obey or not, but obedience to God’s will is always the best answer.
To truly love someone, we must spend time with them. God asked me to read His word for years before I finally obeyed. After a simple request from a dear friend, I agreed to read the entire Bible in 6 months and am now reading it through for a second time. This small act of obedience has opened my heart to God in ways I never would have imagined. Has God also been asking you to spend time reading His word?
Let us choose to love God.
LIVE BETTER. Whatever our current situation is, we can purposefully take steps to grow in our faith, become healthier, improve our finances, strengthen our relationships and stop believing the negative lies that we have been telling ourselves. God wants us to live abundantly in his purpose. We must work diligently in these other areas of life while keeping our focus on him.
Let us choose to live better lives.
SHINE YOUR LIGHT. Shining our light is ultimately about affecting others in a positive way. When we turn our focus from ourselves to those around us, God shows us opportunities to help others. God wants to produce goodness, righteousness and truth through us. When our spirit aligns with God’s will, we reflect his love and can truly make a difference in our world.
Let use choose to shine our light.
When we stop running from our monsters and turn in faith to God, we are able to shine our light brighter and help free others from their monsters that hide in the darkness. Instead of cowering in fear and trying to protect ourselves, we can breathe deeply and trust that God longs to radiate his loving kindness and cover his children with a light where no darkness can hide.
My earnest hope is to encourage you to live your life with intention to shine your beautiful light to glorify God, while I walk on this journey alongside you. Together, I want us to become a community that lives fully and purposefully into who God calls us to be—Children of Light.
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