This Little Light Of Mine

Last night I locked myself out of the house I live in. Thankfully, all I needed to do was call my roommate and ask her to bring my keys downstairs to the door.

She did just that, and the second I turned around, an elderly Somali woman was standing stationary in the middle of the sidewalk, her dark eyes glued on me.

I caught myself off-guard. Was their something about my appearance that bothered her? Was their something foreign on my clothing?

As nerve-wracking thoughts continued to rush through my head, I decided to approach the woman and ask her how she was. She mumbled something in her native language I could not understand. I asked her to repeat, and she pointed to the large smokey grey house that I call home.

I still couldn't understand her words, even with the gesture that accompanied her words. So I simply mustered, "This building is a residence house of North Central University."

She nodded, with a blank expression splatted across her wrinkled face. No words.

Awkwardly, I continued the conversation: "You have a beautiful purple scarf." The woman had a floral patterned violet scarf wrapped around her head, as many Muslim women do.

Her face lit up in a gorgeous smile. Although her teeth were yellow and crooked, a tangible joy appeared that wasn't there before.

The woman started rambling off some more words that were alien to me, and I just stood there in awe.

The self-conscious thoughts that flooded my head before faded in a snap. I suddenly realized that my simple compliment had a profound effect on this woman's emotions.

A brief yet insightful moment with a stranger where a piece of Jesus' love was revealed. How many of these experiences have you had with people? Maybe it was with a homeless man on the street, a businessman in the elevator, or a mom with three kids in the line at the grocery store.

There's a special kind of terminology I like to use when describing situations like this. Dr. Watson, a popular and lovable professor at my college, unofficially coined the phrase.

"divine appointment" - n.

A divine appointment is where God sovereignly brings people together to accomplish His will.
Sometimes it involved two people who know each other already. Other times, and in many cases, God draws the paths of two unfamilar and quite opposite people together.
This is what happened with me. A Christian 20-year-old college student meets an elderly Muslim woman. Two opposite ends of a spectrum clashing together. And it wasn't an accident.
In these scenarios, the Lord uses His sheep to reach the ones who are not in the pen of the Shepherd yet. Sometimes it's through the telling of the full Gospel message, other times it's just through a simple bit of encouragement that plants a seed. Either way, God treasures these moments. They are priceless in history.

Sadly, it is seldom that we remember or find value in brief interactions with people. As Americans, we tend to hurry through our days with one thing planted on our minds. Usually we're just thinking of where we're going and how we're going to get there.

People we pass along the way are merely living and breathing pieces of scenery. How sad is that?

What if, instead, we looked at people as how God sees them rather than judging them based on their physical appearance, past and character? We were all created beautifully in God's eyes.

Yesterday I was reminded of one simple truth.

Every second we spend on this planet is an opportunity to be a light. Whether we're surrounded by people or not, we still have a choice to make. Will I harness this moment and glorify God with it, or will I waste it away and make it something meaningless?

Time is a gift from God. We should never take one minute of this life for granted.

"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14)

Never expect that you will awaken tomorrow morning and be able to fix all of today's mistakes. If God is knocking on your heart to forgive, forgive NOW. If He is calling you to confession, then pour out your brokenness before the throne. Be always listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit and be obedient to His promptings.

Besides having a constant awareness of the still, small voice the Lord loves to speak through, go out and spread the Good News to those who are lost. God calls us to be children of light (Ephesians 5:8).

I think the Lord has placed three basic callings on our lives:

1. To love the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, and minds

2. A specific vocational calling (missionary, businessman, church nursery provider, etc.)

3. To reach out to the broken-hearted

God longs for each one of his sons and daughters to come home to Him and call Him "Father". We, as Christians, are His instruments.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

We have some pretty big shoes to fill as we walk this planet. Although it may be overwhelming at times, remember that the Lord has given us authority over darkness and he is the ultimate source of power and strength.

Allow the Lord to place divine appointments in your life. Pray for them. Hunger for them. Seek them out. There are hundreds of people who cross your path every day who don't know the Lord, and all it takes is one simple "hello". I believe the Lord arranges divine appointments for us every day, but we are only able to experience these when we are in tune to His voice.

Live out the catchy song your teachers taught you in Sunday school.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine...

Let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine.

Jumping Off A Cliff

The other night, I was having a conversation with my roommate and one of the girls we live next to. We sprawled down on the bright red carpet in our PJs and started talking about church, just as the clock striked midnight.
The girl who lives next door brought up the message her pastor gave in church earlier that morning. It was about the Apocolype, and it really caught my attention.
Trapped between phrases about such things as the mark of the beast and the rapture was a statement that stood out like an elephant in a room.
If God is calling you to something now, then why remain stagnant where you're at?
If Jesus was to come tonight, would you be satisfied with where you're at? Or would you be dissapointed because you didn't obey God's calling on your life?
I'm not trying to push any guilt on you, but this is a real question with serious results. Eternal results.
So, what are you waiting for?
Maybe you're waiting to pursue your dream. Maybe you're waiting to volunteer at church. Or maybe you're waiting to build a relationship with the people in your neighbordhood. Whatever it may be, my next question for you is WHY.
Why are you continuously waiting when you could drop everything you have now and go for it?
Obviously, there are factors.

1. Money. Money is probably the biggest game player in the decision-making field. In our society, people lock themselves into situations because of the dollar signs sprewn across everything.
2. People have a huge influence on us. And when I say "huge", I mean it. People have expectations of us and it's almost like we are living life as a puppet attatched to the strings people have placed on us. If we dissapoint someone close in our lives, then that would lead to emotional pain.
3. Another deal breaker is success. What if you don't succeed at following your passion? What if everything starts tumbling downwards and people don't support you? The thought of failure terrifies us.

But guess what?
In God's story for our life, these factors hardly play a role. God doesn't care if you're Bill Gates or living in the slums of New York. God doesn't pay attention to all the other voices screaming "no" at you. God won't be dissapointed in you if you mess up -- because FAILURE IS GOD'S WAY OF SHOWING THAT WE ARE BROKEN AND NEED HIM DAILY.
Our generation has become too comfortable with the satisfactory. We're scared of pursuing excellence because it would involve risk.
What we need to come to grasp is that God is the author of our life and His story for our life is perfect.
He is the one who created us in our mother's womb.
He is the one who held our hand as a child as we suffered abuse, rejection and loneliness.
He is the one who provided everything you have.
Right now, He is still walking alongside you. The Holy Spirit lives within each of us, and He will always PROTECT and LOVE you, through whatever circumstance comes your way.
Although God has given us freedom to choose our path, He knows that His calling on our life is best. We need to learn to trust God and not doubt Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8)
 

Even though it's so easy to fall victim to doubt, be strong and listen to God's voice.
Go ahead, jump off the cliff you've been standing on and dive into the place God is calling you to. The waters may be deep and unclear, but God will be by your side the entire time.
No, some of the things God tells us to do might not make sense. Logically, it may not make sense for you to drop out of school, travel overseas and build an orphanage in the place you feel that the Lord is calling you to. Where would you get to money to do that? Where you would stay? What if you aren't successful? These are some of the eerie thoughts that can creep into our minds when we picture ourselves where we feel like God is leading us.
Be strong in the Lord and stand up against the lies coming against you. Allow the Lord to be your shield that deters the attacks of the enemy.

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Psalm 18:2)
 

Whoever you may be, God has a beautiful and magnificent plan for your life. If you haven't discovered it yet, seek Him and He will reveal it in His timing. He loves you so much and would never lead you down a path of destruction.
Remember, when we give God the steering wheel of our life, then He will take us to places we could never imagine before. It's a completely exhiriating and risky experience, but in the end it's all worth it.

Magazine

This past week, my family went on a 24-hour road trip. We all squeezed our overly packed bags and selves into my mom's mini van, and set out for the highway.
Along the way, I pulled out my younger sister's magazine. On the cover of the August edition of Seventeen, a hefty slogan in bold type screamed, "Get Everything You Want This Year!" The neon orange letters captivated me, and I found myself drooling over pages filled with the latest fashions, make-up & hair tips, and relationship advice.
It's crazy how much our success-driven culture promotes materialism. Every advertisement, article, and photo seems to secretly say, "Your [apperance, house, car... whatever it may be], isn't good enough. It will never be good enough, until you buy this product. Then you will be truly happy."
In Seventeen, a magazine whose target audience is made up of 13 to 15-year-old teenage girls, almost every advertisement features a brand name fashion designer or make-up. These pages are silently tearing down the self-esteem of young girls. Thoughts such as, "I'm not pretty enough" or "No guy would every like me" race through their heads.
Trust me, I was at that stage. And I still catch myself falling for these lies.
Even as a Christian, it's easy to get caught up in the smartly crafted phrases that magazine editors marvel over. Their cunning is their bait, and we are easy to fall for it. Our greed puckers up and hastens us to rip through the slippery magazine pages until our eyes fall upon the article that tells us how to get everything we ever wanted.
So, how can we learn to defeat the greed that ignites when we read magazines, watch TV, or walk through stores?
First of all, when we give in to the cravings of our heart and buy everything we want, despair soon follows.

"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." (1 Timothy 6:9)

True joy and contentment can only come from the Lord.
When we follow the Lord's commandments, then and ONLY then can we find real happiness.

"The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart." (Psalm 19:8)

Instead of following the world's ways and desiring after more and more, choose to live a life rooted in the Lord's goodness and mercy. He is Provider.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

Here's the mind-blower: We don't need anything in this life besides the Lord.
When we firmly believe this and start making Him our number one priority, then He will start providing everything else we need.
What if you gave God your wallet and let Him spend it however He wanted to?
Instead of "Get Everything You Want This year!", get everything GOD wants this year.

Lost Keys

Let me share a story with you.
Today started off as being another normal day at work... until I lost the keys. I had set them down on the counter directly in front of one of the registers, and five minutes later they were gone. No one knew where they were.
I started searching frantically, in hopes of finding them mixed in with the clumps of paper scraps in the garbage can or behind one of the grey bins on the floor. I opened every drawer, picked up every rug, and looked in every crack behind the cashwrap counter. Nothing.
By the time an hour-and-a-half was up, it was time for me to take my 15 minute break. I stumbled to the backroom, panicking in tears as my eyes started to swell up. I was on the verge of having an emotional breakdown.
When I returned to the salesfloor, I continued looking for the keys, up and down the counter and in and out of all the different openings they could have fallen in to. Another hour-and-a-half passed by until I finally gave up and went on my hour break.
Such a silly situation to beat yourself up on and allow it to wreck your day, right?
I was becoming physically, mentally and emotionally stressed over a misplaced object. I couldn't focus on doing any other part of my job and I became extremely frustrated and impatient with customers.
As I was sitting in my car during my hour break, one of my friends reminded me of this Bible verse:

"I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27)

The context of this verse is Jesus telling the disciples that He is going to leave them, and He is reassuring them that peace will travel with them.
I think this same peace that was with the disciples over 2,000 years ago can occupy our minds and our hearts now if we accept it.
There are going to be issues that arise. This world isn't perfect. In fact, we cannot depend on anything the world offers or says.
As one of the professors at my college is renowned for saying, "The world may fail you, but God is faithful." I love that last little bit. God is faithful.
We don't have to be troubled or worried, over the smallest of problems (like my own) or even the biggest of problems (a family member's death, a job loss, etc.).
As the Lord started speaking to me about His peace and His faithfulness, I was reminded that I belong to the Lord and nothing can ever separate me from His love.
My little freakout today, well, that's nothing in the book of troubles people in this world have faced. So what ended up happening after my lunch hour was over?
I walked back into work, head up high and a smile slapped across my face. Worry had no control over me anymore.
And no, I never did end up finding the keys. But that'ss okay. God taught me a huge lesson through such a tiny circumstance in the scheme of things.
Whenever worry or fear starts to inch in, remind yourself of this verse:

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Reminiscing

The evening was coming to a close and I was just about to drop my friend off at his house for the night. I pulled my white Pontiac into his driveway, and all of a sudden we started reminiscing old memories from high school.

We talked about the dances, the parties, our teachers, relationships... all the juicy drama that was alive and running only two years ago. We spilled EVERYTHING.

As I was reflecting on everything that happened, both the good and the ugly, I started sketching an image of myself of who I was in high school.

The words that distinctly described me would be sweet, shy, innocent and sheltered.

I was the girl who hardly had an awareness of anything happening in my group of friends.

See, I hung out with the band geeks. I became part of the "clique" during 8th grade, and all through high school we had lockers next to each other and had parties at each other's houses.

I was kind of the outsider in the group, though. Especially when I started dating my football player boyfriend who was a year young than all of us in 11th grade.

As my friend and I chattered in my car about all the high school drama -- the break-ups, the hook-ups, the fights -- I realized how disconnected I was from everything happening. It made me a bit discouraged.

But as I was thinking about it later, the Lord spoke to me. He told me that all through high school he had me in this group of friends for a reason -- not to become "BFFs" with, but to keep me surrounded by people who wouldn't harm me or take advantage of me emotionally or physically. He knew the friends I associated with wouldn't remain in my life forever, but they would be people who I could trust. It was God's way of protecting me even while I was still at a distance from Him.

Now that I look back on it all, I praise the Lord and thank Him for everything He did to keep me under the shelter of His wings. Even through my first year of college, he held me tightly in His arms and surrounded me with a completely new support system of Christian friends and mentors. I was in a battle that only the place I was at could have survived it was in the community I was involved in.

It's crazy to look back on is how much I've grown from my freshman year of high school to my current stage of life. The Lord has totally transformed my heart in only six years.
My relationship with the Lord is secure.

My friendships with others are deep.

My passions have been revamped.

I am not the awkward, insecure girl I was at the start of my teenage years. God has delivered me from a broken relationship, mended my broken heart, and pulled me closer to Him than I've ever been before. I don't need to be the social butterfly who knows everything going on, and I can be okay with failure and weakness. Because my God is stronger than any trial or fear that comes against me. I can put my whole trust in Him and know that He has His arms wrapped tightly around me.

I was singing a worship song today, and the bridge went like this:

I may be weak
Your spirit strong in me
My flesh my fail
My God you never will 

("Give Me Faith" by Elevation Worship)

This is my anthem during this season of my life.

I am not who I once was. I have been made new.

A Sudden Ache

I was reading a news story today about how extreme monsoon flooding in northeast India has displaced nearly 2 million people. I was utterly shocked at the amount of damage; over 60 people are dead and it is one of the worst disasters this region has seen in over a decade.

After becoming informed about the disaster, my thoughts began to race into action.
What can I do to help? These people have lost all hope. I need to jump on a plane and provide food and water for them.

Complete nonsense. I can't afford a $1,000 plane ticket to India, nonetheless can I simply stop working and spend a month in a foreign country with no place to stay.

Sometimes our instantaneous desires are out of the question.

But God reminded me of something as I pondered this idea.

"You can PRAY."
That's what He said, clear in my head. The wheels in my brain stopped for a moment.

So, I can say a little prayer, and that will be enough? I don't need to do anything else?

First off, no prayer is "little." No matter how short it is and no matter if you use 1st grade vocabulary without the big fancy words.

God hears every prayer shouted, spoken, whispered, and said silently in your head.

"I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy." (Psalm 116:1)

Secondly, God doesn't call us to solve every hurt and need on the planet. Our hearts may ache to help those who suffer and have experienced great loss, but before our foot takes one step ahead of our hearts we must ask the Lord if it is the right path for us. And while we do that, we must pray continuously and passionately for the situation we empathize with.
God has a very specific plan for every one of us, but one thing he calls each of us to is prayer.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

Next time you read about a horrible event in your state or halfway across the world, do not be discouraged if you cannot help out. God has you in the season and place you're in for a reason; embrace that and be prayerful on all occasions.

White Lines

There's a man named Hezekiah in the Bible. His father, King Ahaz, was an evil ruler. He sacrificed Hezekiah's brothers to false gods, closed up the temple, and led people in idol worship.

When Hezekiah became the new king at 25-years of age, he had a long history of dysfunction and rebellion behind him. He had to choose whether or not to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers or set a new path for Israel.

"[Hezekiah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord." (2 Chronicles 29:2)

Hezekiah made huge alterations when he stepped in to rule Jerusalem. He reopened the doors of the temple, gave burnt offerings to the Lord, and essentially brought all of Israel back to the Lord.

What made him different than the kings before him?

He had faith.

He was a prayer warrior.

Hezekiah didn't allow himself to be trapped by his past -- he took a bold step of faith and followed the Lord, even though the crowd before him was going the opposite way!

Just like Hezekiah, you may have a long line of dysfunction in your family. Maybe there are drunkards, drug addicts, and sex offenders. Maybe all your grandparents, aunts, and uncles have gotten divorced. Maybe it's less serious; maybe there's just a lot of bitterness and hard hearts present.

Whatever the depth of the problem, the Lord is greater than it. He wipes away all of our history and makes us NEW.

So what do we do now?

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12)

Keep praying. It may take years, even decades, for a mountain of brokenness to crumble. But know this: PRAYER MOVES MOUNTAINS.
Keep praying fervently and passionately for your family like Hannah did when she cried out to the Lord for a son. If you really want something, the Lord will give it to you!

 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

Also, be patient with your family members! When argument sparks, don't be one to spread the flames of conflict.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)

Lastly, be hopeful and excited for the new adventure God can take you on when you allow Him to guide your path. Giving up our own plans can be painful, but being obedient to God's plan can bring you to even bigger and brighter places than you could ever imagine! 

The scribbly white lines of brokenness, ugliness and failure that have been etched across your chalkboard don't have to stay anymore. Let God erase your past and allow him to be the author of your new life in Him!