Let There Be Light

“Shining, shining, shining, shining yeahhhhhhh”

Everybody, what’s up? That opening quote is just a little snippet of Shining by Beyonce’. I figured it went well with the topic lol. I have great news! In case you guys were interested I just had a birthday on October 4th. Yayyy!! I turned 27 years old. A part of me was excited as I realized that I made it to see 27 and so many others have not. It reminds me of God’s sufficient grace. The other part of me was in despair (so dramatic lol) because I’m 27 and have nothing to show for all of this time I have been on the earth. I know a lot of you all are like ‘Girl, what are you talking about?’ Let me explain. It’s true, I have gone to college and I’ve done things that are considered positive. However, in relation to the gospel, what have I done? I’m sure some individuals have seen my light, and I promise I am not chasing a stage; but who am I sharing with? You guys understand me now, right? It bothers me that I don’t have a daily routine with Jesus. It’s always scattered and inconsistent. Yes, I pray. Yes, I fast. Yes, I go to discipleship every week. Yes, I also pour into people as I receive wisdom from Christ. I just feel like that’s not enough. I feel like there is more that I can do and become. There is an entire world out there in darkness and, although I am not assigned to the entire world, I could be doing more for my community. I could be more reachable. I could be more outspoken. I could just overall be more for the community that I inhabit. How? That is the question that I have been asking myself since my birthday.

It’s amazing how God speaks when your heart is open to hear. I was preparing to go on a cruise and my Father told me to come to church on Sunday. My work schedule never permits me to be there. I know, I’m working on it. Pray that I past this test and God blesses me with a job that values my relationship with Him lol. Anyways, I was not going to go to church as always, but that morning the Spirit urged me to go to work late and go hear from Him. I had already had my prayer time that morning, but I was still hungry for more of the Word. I decided to go to church and my Father’s message was out of Genesis 1. I was interested immediately once he said to go to Genesis 1. I was like “hmmm, I wonder how he’s going to spin this”. Pastors don’t really start from the beginning anymore. However, the beginning was just what I needed. His message was simple, yet beautifully worded and conveyed the fact that God comes into people’s lives with one simple action, “Let there be light,’ which suggests God’s first command to the world once he created it and darkness was all around. Don’t worry, I’ll break it down for you. How does that look in today’s time? It looks like an individual allowing Jesus to come into their lives. They accept salvation. Does that mean that all darkness is going to leave immediately? Absolutely not. As your relationship with Christ grows, the dark places in your life will eventually succumb to the light of Christ. What can be considered a dark place? Dark places are the things that you struggle with that don’t manifest Christ. Things that you don’t think twice about can be a dark place. For me, I struggle with insecurity. That’s my dark place. I always feel like I could be more, but as my relationship with Christ grows I feel more secure in who he created me to be and I accept where I am as well as my portion. Contentment is key. When you’re not content, you don’t perform as well as you could because you don’t feel as though you belong in that place. As I continue to worship, fast, and pray, those things that are dark in my life, heart, and mind are submitting to God’s word. How amazing is that. If it can happen for me, it can happen for you too!

What now? Everybody has been asking me what’s next in this chapter of my life. What I know for sure is that I will be serving more. The way you get to the next level is to serve. No other way. Its biblical. Jesus had to come down. If I’m striving to be more like him, then I am striving to live a life full of service. I choose to be a light in this world even if it’s just for the people that I encounter every day. Maybe, just maybe, the cashier at Wal-Mart needs to see a smiling face. Maybe that angry co-worker just needs someone to be nice to them without anything in return for a change. Maybe a young girl needs to hear my story so she can choose a different path. Maybe! When I was on the cruise ship, I met a lady that was recently divorced and in a really tough place in life. Thankfully, I was equipped enough to speak to the winner inside of her. It was because I possess the light of Christ. I was also surrounded by people with the light and we were all able to lift her up from that dark place. She left the ship with a new attitude. We never know the lives that we can touch with the light of Christ. I am meditating on Psalms 119: 105 which states, “your word is a lamp unto my feet, a guide on my path”. It is one sentence, but it retains so much power. Here is the construct. Say yes to Christ and let his light come into you. Protect the light so that it continues to shine brighter. That means to stay in your word and guard your heart. Lastly, as the word begins to shine through you, it will catch on to others as darkness cannot reside with light. It will always yield to the light’s power. Check out 2nd Corinthians 6:14. You know; the Bible is a really great book once you read it lol just kidding. Lastly, Ephesians 5: 1 says to be imitators of God because we are his children. The World needs to see Christ, but they will find Him through us. So, spread love. Serve people. Honor Him. That’s all guys. I just encourage you all today to be a light wherever you are. Let the light of Christ shine bright. This world has some dark places that need Jesus Christ and you can help wherever you are.

Jesus loves you and so do I,

Cici