“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
— Matthew 5:16
What do you think of when you hear the word “star”? After the ones in the sky, you probably go to “TV star,” “movie star,” “rock star.” We name them after those twinkly heavenly bodies because they are somehow “above” ordinary people, and they seem to shine more. They have talent or beauty or knockout personalities that make the rest of us want to bask in their “light.”
Jesus said all of us need to let our lights shine. We’re supposed to use our talents, share the beautiful parts of ourselves, make people happy. But there’s a difference between that kind of light and the light movie and rock stars send out. The shining Jesus wants us to do is not for the praise and the fame and the adoring fans. It’s for God’s glory. He wants us to do shining things — like love and be generous and make sacrifices — so that God will get the praise and the fame and the adoring fans.
More to Explore: Ephesians 5:8
Girl Talk: Think about your talents. Come on, you have tons. Can you make a baby laugh when nobody else can? Make a killer tuna fish sandwich? Whatever those lights are, think of how you can shine them in a way that shows God to someone.
God Talk: “Jesus, you gave me an inner light like a star! Help me to shine that light into the world. And let people see that my light comes straight from you.”
From That Is So Me by Nancy Rue