Shine Bright

A few Saturdays ago I attended an ornament exchange party with some beautiful ladies. There was a lot of laughter and childlike joy. I may be a bit partial, but as ladies we know how to have a good time with little or a lot. As ornaments were exchanged you got to see the personality and preference of each lady based on the ornament that excited her the most. Like the beautiful mix that was present in that room so were the ornaments. They came in all colors, sizes, make and shape – each intricately carved by it’s designer. I can imagine each designer had a vision and a purpose in mind at the onset. They envisioned what it could add to the space where it would occupy- on a tree, in a jar or on a mantle. It adds it’s own flavor that undoubtedly sets the tone for the atmosphere the owner desires to create. Each ornament shines brightly in its own right, not in anyway diminishing the shine of the others. Like me, I think we choose ornaments that complement each other – that go well together.

I believe that’ s what our heavenly Father had in mind when He so graciously positioned us in the places He prepared for us. We are uniquely created to bring light and life to the spaces where we do life. The scriptures speaks to this as ‘ diversities of gifts’ and ‘differences of ministries’ ( 1 Corinthians 12:4-11). We are reminded that it’s the same Lord, same God, same Spirit who is at work . This speaks to the idea of unity in purpose. We were thoughtfully framed for the single purpose of honoring God. We do that with all that He placed in us. How we walk that out may look different from person to person. We were graced with the ease of being who God created us to be. And that’s okay! Like the ornaments, we enhance, enrich and add spark to what can often be dark and dismal places in life. 

Because it is the Spirit who gifts us as He wills, there’s room for all of us at the table ( 1 Corinthians 12: 11). As He leads, we walk into those ‘good works’ He prepared for us ahead of time. There’s no need to covet or dim our shine. Joyfully we accept who we were created to be; changing only as He challenges us. Our Father delights in redeeming and remolding. He invites us to give him the fractured broken ‘us’. God works with who we are, not who we pretend to be. Bare and naked, we submit to His processing. The end product is always a delightful masterpiece. As we master of art of ‘blooming where we are planted’, we find that there’s a whole world of possibilities awaiting us. Like those ornaments, we discover unimaginable opportunities to shine brightly in a world that so needs a way out of darkness. Shine on – my sister, my friend and brothers too!

****Thanks for stopping by – ‘This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!’🎶✨