A few months ago, my parents and I decided to dine at Five Guys one evening for dinner. During our visit there, we were served by a friendly and welcoming guy at the cash register before we officially took our seats to both wait for our number to get called and devour our delicious meals once we retrieved them at the counter.
What immediately stood out to me about this gentleman, besides his intentionality to give us exceptional customer service, was his very kind and joyful nature and countenance towards me and my parents. Not only did he wear a smile on his face continuously when he talked to me, but I could tell from his tone of voice that he genuinely enjoyed my company.
Even just off that first encounter with him, I could see qualities in him that reminded me of the other amazing male role models I have met throughout my life. As I was pondering on this thought while we were preparing ourselves to leave the restaurant, it brought a smile to my face because it reminded me of the goodness, faithfulness, and favor of God over my life, even though I did not earn nor deserve it before I developed a relationship with Him three years ago.
This encounter made me start thinking about similar instances I have had over the years, specifically babies/little kids and older people, who either look at me longingly while I am in their presence or strike a conversation with me by talking to me about themselves or asking me to share a little about myself or my story.
Ultimately, these continual occurrences have led me to ask myself these three questions: What do people see in me? Do they see God, or do they simply see me? What do they see in me that I fail to see in myself sometimes?
However, God spoke to me very clearly on the first day of September as I sat on the floor of my room, admiring the sun's rays coming into my room through my window. During that time, I sat still and paused as I thought about the beauty and intricacy of light and how God uses it to reveal ourselves to Him, and what its purpose is. A rush of excitement began to brew within me as I was mesmerized by the deep revelation I was receiving.
From September to December 2023, God spoke to me several times on light. Not only was Matthew 5:14 the Verse of the Day on the YouVersion app, but other people had been referencing this verse in the captions of their Instagram posts, two devotionals, one titled, “My sister, people are being drawn to you,” and the other, “You are the light of the world,” were published on the Daughters of the King: Daily Devotional app and to top it all off my pastor took me and the rest of the congregation through a four-part series called Walking in the Light. All of this was just confirmation after confirmation of what the Lord had spoken to me on that faithful first day of September.
If I am being honest, as someone who has always been a shy and introverted person and preferred to be outside of the limelight and not the center of attention, the thought of having to shine my light by doing tasks like presenting a project in front of a group of people or simply going up to an employee at a department store to ask them where a specific item is has become more of a daunting task than it has to be.
However, as I have been spending more time with the Lord and getting to know Him on a deeper and more intimate level, I have noticed a Godfidence developed within me slowly, to where whenever I go out in public now, I no longer complain about people staring at me nor am I so overwhelmed by a crowd of people that I become overstimulated by all the activity going on around me that makes me want to run in the opposite direction when I first walk into a store. Instead, I see it as an opportunity to enjoy spending time away from home for a bit and demonstrate the love of Jesus, even if it is not reciprocated.
Brothers and Sisters, maybe you are in the same boat as I once was, and you prefer to be a homebody, or you shy away from public outings out of fear of being seen or making a mistake that will cause people to laugh or stare at you for messing up. However, can I offer you a word of encouragement? Now that we are in Christ, we are ambassadors for Him, which means we have the honor and privilege to be a light in this dark and fallen world for His glory and for the benefit of others. Do not let the lies of the enemy, the stares, the rejection, or the mean comments you may have received on or offline in the past or lately stop you from embracing the man or woman of God that God has called you to be on this side of eternity.
As the famous saying goes, “You never know who's watching." And since we do not know who is watching, let us purpose in our hearts to be men and women of God that others can look to by being faithful and obedient servants to the Lord and beaming Christ’s light wherever we go!
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV
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