”You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand so the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”
~Matthew 5:14-16
When I first moved into our house, I didn’t know much about home improvement. But what I did know is that the very first thing I was installing in the house was a gorgeous chandelier (you can see in the promo video above). I’ve always had a slight obsession with all things sparkly and and with this new house, I was so excited to finally finally have my overload of sparkle in my living room like I had always dreamed about.
I think I’m obsessed with chandeliers because of the sparkle. And the prism light that leaves rainbows on our walls when the sun hits it the right way. It takes me back to my childhood when my mom introduced me to Pollyanna and the “Glad Game” of finding the good in every situation.
I think too I’m attracted to sparkly things because of the very purpose of what a sparkle does. It stands out. It boldly proclaims it has to light to share and reflect in the world.
This reminds me of a high school girl down the street. I’ve only talked to her a few times and she is absolutely a timid sweet soul, and the type who is so unaware of her porcelain like beauty behind her artistic exterior. But she always stands out to me as I drive by her walking around the neighborhood. I notice her mostly because of her long hot pink hair she rocks. Or sometimes it is snow white. Or sometimes it is neon orange. (I personally think the hot pink suits her well for obvious reasons. But I digress.) I notice her because I admire her courage to live boldly and not care what other people think. Because she’s so outrageous, I’m sure that she gets picked on at school by bullies and mean girls that try to tear her down… and do I dare say “spoof” her. But I’ve always noticed her because she inspires me to stay unique. She inspires me, even from afar, to remember, we each have a unique message to send the world. The girl with the hot pink hair reminds me, as my dear friend, Dawn Davis, recently told me, to keep waving my sparklers in the air and not let anyone put them out.
There is only one of you. What unique message do you have to boldly bring to the world? There might be people who misunderstand you, misinterpret your message, miss out completely on the story of your life because they are judging your book by its cover, like the girl with the hot pink hair. But I have often found that the best books are the ones that challenge me to form an opinion of my own and seek the truth rather than simply follow the masses of what others are saying (I still don’t understand the whole Harry Potter or Twilight or Hunger Games phenomenon, but then again it’s because I haven’t actually read them. So until I do, I’m not judging them.)
We all have a choice to use the light we put out there to be positive and bless others with it to spark a beautiful light in them, or be negative and criticize someone without even knowing the real them and contribute to the darkness of this world.
We all have a light inside of us that we can choose to let sparkle or go dull. As the picture says below, I’m choosing to not let anyone dull my sparkle. And I hope you don’t let anyone dull yours!
