Daniel 12:3
Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
There it was shining so bright in the sun against the dark asphalt. A single penny. Growing up, my PawPaw always stopped to pick up a penny, so from the oldest to the youngest of my family, we all think of him when we see a penny lying on the ground. But in that painful moment, as I picked that penny up, the testimony of the man my PawPaw was reminded me of the eternity with Jesus I have to look forward to, and the pain of that moment melted away.
Dear one, every day moments can be hard, a lot of times a breaking point, and that’s ok. As humans we live moment by moment that may be disciplining our toddler for the 100th time, waking up in the face of depression, or dealing with a passive-aggressive coworker. Eternity is near impossible for any human to comprehend in the midst of these moments, yet we know our God is eternal.
2 Cor. 4:18 very simply states, “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen aretemporary, but the things which are not seen areeternal. “
A few years ago, my nephew showed a lot of interest in art, so my sister decided to take him to the community center for a special class. Upon speaking with the teacher, my sister realized that this woman had diametrically opposed political and world views to her. In that moment, she made a decision to listen to that woman’s beliefs in a spirit of genuine kindness. My sister found herself embraced in a tearful hug by this woman she barely knew all because of the kindness she had shown. Was she lead to the Lord that day? No, but she saw a glimpse of the Eternal One,Jesus, and His light shining from that one small act.
Being perfect or being a doormat for others to walk all over is not the answer I found, nor feeling like a failure if others reject Jesus when I share with them. The answer I did find was that no matter the struggle of the moment, I can ask the Lord to help me embrace moment by moment in light of the joy awaiting me in eternity with Him. Even more still, I can ask the Lord to help me respond to others in the knowledge that each person has an eternal choice to make for themselves. Each of us can ask. Each of us can surround ourselves with Scripture and mentors that lead us back to the truth of eternity. From that, each of us will naturally shimmer and shine just like the stars in the sky full of the light of the Eternal One, and others will plainly see their need for that same light only found in Jesus.
So shine bright in the light of the Lord, dear one. Shine bright.
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