Shine (intransitive verb): to give out a bright light; a quality of brightness especially from reflected light; be very talented or perform very well
Back in January, I shared on the blog that I was trying a theme word for the first time ever, and that the word I selected was SHINE (read HERE). In April, I reflected on how the theme word was impacting my life in my post Shine – Part 2. Now that the year has passed, the time has come to shine a light on the results!
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” Isaiah 60:1
I shared these words at the end of the April post: SHINE MORE does not equate to DO MORE. My will, my sins, my self-righteousness…these make up the lampshade dimming my shine. Rather than “doing more” or “trying harder” as a means to remove the lampshade, I see the path is instead one of SURRENDER.
And that’s the path I took for the remainder of the year. The words in my blog posts reflected various perspectives on the concept of surrender: Powerless, Pilot, Yoke. I explored the idea of accepting my powerlessness as a path to surrendering. A new car purchase prompted an analogy of God as my Pilot, and an old familiar bible verse meant to encourage the weary and burdened brought my attention to the word yoke. All are different forms of surrender.
The best way to Shine is to become my truest self. And that happens the more I surrender, the closer I grow in relationship to Christ. By embracing my powerlessness, turning over the controls, and accepting Him as the Care-Taker of my life, I found my Shine.
Well, maybe “found” isn’t the right word. A better description might be “unleashed”.
I was the one holding back my shine, and through surrender, I gave it the freedom to bust out, break through, and hopefully, glorify Jesus. I feel much like the caterpillar emerging from the cocoon a new creation. With bright, beautiful, glittering wings. Not just a transformation, but a complete metamorphosis!
I’ve been attracted to quotes, graphics, song lyrics, movies all throughout the year that had the word “shine” or “light”, or pictures of stars, candles, and butterflies. The theme word gave my mind something to look for in the world, and when we look for something, we find it!
Some of my favorite “shine” references I found in 2019:
- “I know nothing in the world has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.” ~ Emily Dickinson
- I love who I’ve been, but I really love who I’m becoming.
- “Everyone needs healing. Not everyone is aware of what or how to heal. Nobody has all of the answers. Be patient, be transparent, be compassionate, be the light.”
- When fear comes, whisper His name, grab His hand, and step into His Light.
- Cartoon graphic of a caterpillar eating dinner with a butterfly. The caterpillar is saying “You’ve Changed”, and the butterfly responds “We’re supposed to”
- “Don’t dim you light because someone complained about your brightness. Shine on.”
- “Lights Shine Bright” song by Toby Mac
- “A candle can only illuminate its world by allowing itself to be set on fire.” Matshona Dhliwayo
The Message translation of Matthew 5:14-16 puts the words of Jesus this way:
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”
Unleashing our shine isn’t just a suggestion, it’s an actual directive from Jesus! He knows that it takes only a speck of light to obliterate darkness, and each of has the potential to be not only a “speck” but even more – a flickering flame, a ray of sun, a laser beam of color, a roaring bonfire, a powerful spotlight, or even a shining star.
The more I surrender, the more I become a reservoir of His Light.
But to keep receiving it, I must also keep giving it away.
As this was my first year selecting a “Theme Word”, the question I now ask: What difference did it make? Or another way to state it: Would my past year have gone any differently without it?
My answer: Yes.
Granted, no one can really know for sure what would have happened this past year had I not selected a theme word or had selected a different theme word. But I do know for sure that God is Good!
Will I do a theme word again? Watch for the answer in my next blog post!