For the next few weeks I will be working on a lot of WMD’s so I will have a nice “stock pile” when school starts back.  It’s pretty easy for me to write them in the Summer…not so easy to write them when I’m working full time.  In the mean time, I want to re-post a series my wife did a few years ago.  She actually has a couple of outlines for new ones she is working on as well.

This little light of mine

Matthew 5:16

Feel free to join in…this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I’m gonna…

We recently celebrated Caroline’s 3^rd birthday.  During the days leading up to this party, she would say things like “I’m gonna blow my candles out and you sing ‘Happy Birthday‘?”  or “I get to open my presents?” or my favorite, “Momma, will you come to my party?”  She knew what parties were all about.  So to my surprise, at her party when I lit her candles I was shocked when she started to cry!  That’s right…cried!  I picked her up and explained the procedure and she calmed down really quickly and within seconds she was licking the icing off of the candle.  Sitting right beside her was her cousin, Hayden.  Less than 24 hours before, Caroline had sat beside Hayden as she blew the candles out on her cake.  So Caroline knew what to expect.  Why in the world did she decide to cry?

As a mother, I ponder these things.  If you know my darling Caroline, you know that she has the tendency to get distraught very easily thanks to her anxiety. She has to have a warming up period with most new activities.  She gets it honestly, because I was and at times am the same way. So, I chalk it up to her knowing that all eyes were going to be on her for a few minutes.  As soon as the song was over, she was fine.  A candle in and of itself is not scary.  She had seen them sitting in the ear of her Minnie Mouse cake all morning…no fear.  However, it was when that little flame was placed on top of it that things heated up.  Not a large flame, even with 3 candles side by side.

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Our figurative lights vary in size.  When Adam writes these each week, he is a spotlight. 300+ eyes are on him for a few minutes to see what God has spoken to him.  When he does that small task of taking out the trash for me, he is those 3 candles.  When he talks about the Lord in areas of his Life that are a little risky, he is a beacon to draw people to the Savior.  Each light we choose to shine will draw a crowd.  People will wonder “what is it about that person that makes them do that?”

When Caroline knew that everyone’s focus was on her, it was scary, even though it was 3 little candles.  Today, eyes will be on you.  When you have the opportunity to do a random act of kindness, let your light shine.  When the time comes for you to go that second mile, let it shine brighter.  When you have the opportunity to share your Beacon of Hope with someone, have at it…burn with passion!  You are gonna feel a lot like Caroline, apprehensive, scared, intimidated, but go for it, it is worth it!!

As a child, my mother taught me to learn scripture. Memory verses as they are affectionately called.  I didn’t exactly enjoy it. As an adult, I treasure those verses that are a part of my everyday thoughts, and am extremely thankful that she persevered with me.  Every morning before she let me out of the car at school, she would pray a simple prayer with and over me, and as I was getting out of the car, she would simply say, “I love you and let your light shine!”.  Those scriptures are bound within my heart, and daily I walked the halls of my school with the constant reminder to let my light shine.  All through high school, I tried to let it shine.  There were only a handful of us that were vocal about our faith, so it was hard. I didn’t think it was noticed most of the time, but when yearbooks were signed, I generally had a good idea that people were noticing. I had several entries that commented on how much they admired my stand, or wished they could be as brave as me.  Caroline’s little candles were shining at the brightest part of the day, but they still made an impact.  We never know how effective our light is, but it is making a difference!  If her candles were lit at night, they would have made a more powerful impression.  So when we are among the darkness in this world, we should not hide our light under a bushel!  No, I’m gonna let it shine!

My mother is no longer with us, but what a lasting impact she made.  She didn’t live in the spotlight.  She lived a modest life.  She shared her candles everyday to everyone she came in contact with.  Sometimes, they were beacons.  A few times, they were spotlights, but for the most part, it was a day to day practice of lighting 3 candles and letting them shine.  They shined in my life!  I still walk the halls of a school in my job, and most mornings, I hear in my head “Let your light shine”  Her legacy lives on.  What will your light say about you today?  I don’t have spotlight moments often, but when I do, I want to get over the anxiety quickly and go for it with all I have.  On the days when it is just me and my 3 little candles, let me remember how powerful they are!  So today, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Until next time

Tonya