spotlight living

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With the new year upon us and the idea of opportunity for a fresh start, I was reminded of an article I wrote in a past issue of the Women of Faith's Connection Magazine called Spotlight Living. With their permission, I post it here. I pray something in it will inspire you in some way as you begin 2010...}

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Technically, I’ve been walking in the light for nearly 30 years. Technically.

But the truth of the matter is that despite the fact that I became a Christian at the ripe old age of 6, my “light” was not shining very bright until about 7 years ago. In fact, though I had the words to the song “This Little Light of Mine” memorized, my light was not illuminating very well at all. Flickering, really, at best.

Like so many women, I was living my life as a small little nightlight, rather than a big, bright shining, spotlight. Truthfully, it’s where many of us currently reside.

It’s not that we want to live our life as a small side table nightlight. The truth is, we’d much rather make it onto the big stage of life, shining proudly and brightly for all to see. But our fears and comfort zones often keep us in a place of darkness, blending in with all the other dark-dwelling people of the world. Dimmed by our own expectations, our lives consist of whatever we think someone else wants us to have, be or do. We are so paralyzed by our own insecurities that being salt and light to others is not always on our radar screens. Instead, we are just trying to make it through the day while holding it all together. In which case, those walking around in darkness do not see light and hope in our eyes, but instead see the same emptiness they, themselves, feel. As a result, they don’t find anything in us worth changing their life over.

Spotlight living attracts people to its illuminations. It draws people in. It stands out in the crowd…causes people to take notice…and interests others to the point that they begin asking questions. Where a nightlight is hardly noticed, a spotlight is highly noticeable. It is the life that impacts others in a big way.

Spotlight living represents a life that is set free by the power of pretense. It symbolizes a life that has journeyed past being comfortable and content with being a simple nightlight. It is a life that hopes, believes, cares, and trusts. It is a life of total surrender and complete fulfillment.

But spotlight living does not come without a cost. Spotlight living requires genuineness and authenticity. It demands truth telling and freedom craving. True, for believers, the light that is within us is Jesus Christ. But if it is not well within our soul we can’t show that light to others. We might want to shine brightly, but our pretense and perfectionism will overshadow our efforts every time.

In a world full of people walking around in darkness, nightlight living simply won’t do the trick. Only when we discover who we are, who we are meant to be, and where our giftedness lies, can we move past the nightlight stage to the bright lights of spotlight living. Then and only then can we get our “shine on” for those around us to see.

I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of being a bright spot in someone else’s life. I think I’ve been a nightlight long enough.