Let your light shine

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ' ~ Matthew 5:14-15

As Christians, God wants us to step out of our comfort zone and tell others about our faith in God. It's not something that comes easy even for me. I find it safe to journal and even stay an anonymous writer here in Soul Kitchen and use the words I write to bless others. I don't like stepping out of my comfort zone and sharing what I believe because I'm scared of being laughed at or turned away or have a rude comment said to me.

What's important is that I need to step out in obedience and trust God to do the rest. This verse above talks about the light and how we don't put the light under a bowl but instead they put it on a stand for all to receive light. That's how we need to be in our walk with God and let others see the life we live and allow our testimony to be the light for everyone to see. God doesn't want us to keep our stories of blessings and trials to ourselves for only us to know. He wants us to be a living testimony that through Christ we can overcome.

In my early years I never shared anything about my life with others. Then, I went to the extreme and thought that with everyone I met that for them to see whether we would be compatible or not that I would share my testimony of struggles and where I was at and use that as a gauge for friendships. That got me hurt over and over again and God had some tough lessons for me. I have now learned through the years that it's my daily life that people see who I really am... how I treat my children.... how I talk to my husband.... how I conduct myself in a store... how I show that I am thankful for all my blessings... am I proud?.... do I brag? what do I say about others?.... can people see Christ's reflection in me? What do people see when they look at me or meet me?

This may seem morbid but I read the obituaries because I love reading what impact someone has had in his or her life. It gets me so excited when the obituary starts off saying something like "Sue fell asleep in the arms of her Saviour...." I love reading what they did with their life and how they used their faith as a light for others. Every single time I close the newspaper I think about what God would say to me when I stand before him.... how did I serve him? will he be pleased with the way I lived my life? Did I take credit for accomplishments and blessings or have I given him praise daily for everything? Was my life a testimony to others?

I saw this quote the other day: "We're supposed to hide God's Word - not our testimony - on our hearts." (not sure who wrote it)

Isn't that powerful? God wants you to step out and trust him in obedience and share what He is doing and has done in your life. Each of us has a testimony that we can share with someone or encourage someone with. Do others see you living what you believe? Let your daily walk and how you live your life be an example to others.

Blessings to you.