God Cannot Be Contained

^“If you are filled with light, with no dark corners,then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” ~Luke 11:36 (NLT)

Who among us doesn’t like to hear a compliment every now and then? While I am always grateful for kind words from others, personally, some compliments mean more to me than others.

I am not, as you would say, a “girly girl.”  My favorite “style” is a pair of old jeans and a comfortable pair of sneakers and I could fit my entire make-up collection into a plastic sandwich bag.  I like to look neat and presentable, but because being fashionable and “flawless”  is not my number one priority in life, any compliment that falls into this category, while appreciated, does not hold a great deal of value to me.

Anyone who spends more than a few minutes with me can usually figure out pretty quickly the things that do matter to me.  I love my son, Eric, and find great joy in being his mom.  Compliment me on being a caring, encouraging mom and that holds value for me.

Of even greater value to me than being Eric’s mom is my Christian faith.  Hands down, my relationship with Jesus Christ is what I am most passionate about.

While there is no such thing as being complimented for being a “good Christian,” (Seriously, what is that, anyway?) something that was said to me recently has touched me very profoundly.  A co-worker, Tina, told me that she always sees a “sparkle” in my eyes, even when things aren’t going well for me. Being a woman of faith, she recognized this “light” as God shining through me.

When I replay her words in my mind, it fills me with such awe of God that it brings me to tears.  Her words had absolutely nothing to do with me, and it is not my intent to make it such.  Whether Tina realized it or not, what she said has everything to do with Him and His Mighty Power within each of us!

While I consider myself to be a pretty positive, encouraging person most of the time; I know that I can often do a much better job of presenting myself as a follower of Christ.  That is what is so incredible to me about what Tina sees.

Image ericthomasstudios.com

God works in me; shines His light through me… in spite of me!  Despite my flaws and shortcomings, my bad moods and frustrations, He is still able to show Himself so clearly to others.

We are all “damaged goods” in one way or another.  Life has a tendency to leave us with open wounds and emotional scars. We forgive, yet, we don’t always forget.  We love, but at times we do so, conditionally.  We heal from the pain of a failed relationship but we come out on the other side of it, a little more closed off to the world.

All of these things change us and I am no different than anyone else.  Yet, despite the muck and the mud of life, that I sometimes allow to cover me, He still shines through!

As Christians, we sometimes “compartmentalize” our faith.  We find it easy to express our faith when we are with like-minded people in church or Bible study.  Outside of those arenas, however; the world we live in sometimes makes it difficult to openly express our faith.

I would love to talk about Jesus all day long at work, but obviously, that just isn’t possible.  I’d get fired for not doing the work I am being paid to do!  Tina’s words were a great reminder to me that even though the world we live in and the scars we bear may attempt to limit His reach, His light simply cannot be contained!

Praise God for being the light in a world that seems to be growing darker with the passing of time! And, praise Him for Tina, and all those in our lives, who recognize and remind us of His constant presence in this life, even when we don’t always see it ourselves.

Advertisements