Glow Up!

- October 31, 2019

When something glows, it stands out and is noticeable. It's shiny, bright, and get's one's attention almost immediately. During the day, we notice the sun shining in the sky. At night, we notice the stars and moon shining in the sky. When a lamp or light switch is turned on in a room, the light is quickly noticed as darkness is no longer present. When we use a flashlight, it helps us see what's around us and what's ahead of us. The light guides the way for us to go. What all of the above mentioned had in common is that the light was glowing. When a person glows, there is a shine, a radiance, a joy that comes from them. The smile they have is deeper than the surface and is not based on current circumstances. The joy comes from the inside and shows on the outside. When there's a glow, there's no denying there is a difference. As Christians, we too should shine. There should be a glow about us everywhere we go. No, we don't have to be famous, on YouTube, or have our name in the spotlight to shine. We can shine right where we are. Since Jesus is our Savior, we have the light of the world with us (John 12:46). We can shine at our jobs, colleges, schools, and churches. We can shine when we're at the grocery store, movies and restaurants. We can shine when we are with our family and friends. We can shine when we are among total strangers. We can shine through our words, actions and attitudes. Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." You know how you put seasoning on your food, but you can tell when the seasoning is just right, not enough or too much? We need to do the same thing with our words. We need to ask God to help us know when we've said enough words, not enough or too much. We need to make sure our words are uplifting, encouraging and helpful (Ephesians 4:29). Our actions need to shine in how we treat ourselves and others and how we walk around and go about day to day. Our attitude should be one of gratefulness. We have to be thankful for what God is doing in our lives and for each moment He gives us. Our attitude should also be one of perseverance. We should be determined not to give up. I know some situations are hard to endure and we feel like giving up, but with God, we can make it! If we give up now, we'll never know what's on the other side. There is greater! Our thoughts lead to our words, actions, and attitudes, so we need to check our thoughts constantly. Our social media posts, messages and pictures also need to shine. We need to be mindful of what we like, share, retweet and comment on. We need to make sure God is pleased with what we are doing. What we do online matters just as much as what we do off line. I know lots of information gets posted on social media, but we don't have to go along with the wrong. No matter what, we should still shine for God! So let's glow in everything we do and everywhere we go. Our glow should been seen before we say a word to anyone. Our world needs to see more light. Let's be that light. Let's make a difference and shine, shine, shine! Get ready to glow up!