Shine Bright, Right Where You Are

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. – Isaiah 60:1 

Have you ever met someone who brightens a room with their presence?  Someone who, when they speak passionately about someone or something dear to their heart, seems to radiate a visible light?

Last week, I wrote about meeting a woman at Whole Foods who did just that. (If you didn’t read the post, I recommend that you take a few minutes to do so by clicking here.) Needing to know the source of her radiance, I interrupted the stillness between us and bluntly said, “You seem so peaceful and joyful. Where does that come from?”  That one question reached across the table and started a friendship between two unlikely women.

This morning we got to know each other over a long breakfast.  She grew up poor in several Southern cities.  I grew up in middle class neighborhoods of the Midwest and East Coast.  Her skin is black.  Mine is white.  She is thin.  I am not.  Her black hair falls past her shoulders in dreadlocks.  My blonde hair is straight as a board. I live comfortably, in a house with a family of five.  She lives with fifteen other women and sleeps on church floors every night, because she’s homeless.

I think she’s beautiful.  She thinks the same of me.  I believe the beauty we see comes from the depths of our hearts, where the Holy Spirit dwells.  From there, our faith shines bright and we encourage one another to follow Jesus every day, every step of the way.  

Every morning my new friend rises from her thin mat on the floor, folds her threadbare blanket, then packs all her belongings into a suitcase.  She brushes her teeth and washes her face in a borrowed bathroom, then sets out to shine God’s light to whoever she meets.  I’m so thankful God sent her to me last week. 

I asked her today if she’s scared to be homeless.  With a beaming smile she told me God is protecting her and she’s confident that she’s right where He wants her to be.  She believes she was placed with these fifteen other women to pray for them and shine God’s bright light into their difficult lives.  She brings the light of hope into a dark place.  

Where has God placed you to shine?  Right where you are! God can be your source of light.  You can radiate peace, joy, and love wherever you go and to whoever you meet.  You are beautiful too!

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