Shine Your Light Challenge!

How are you using your light?

God's Beautiful Artistry! I was lucky to capture this in 2008.

Matthew 5:14-16
Jesus said:

14 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In this way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."






When I took art classes, I learned so much about lighting, and how it can affect so much of a painting or mood of a photograph. Light, bounced off of a bright surface will multiply, lighting up even the darkest of shadows, sometimes giving off the most beautiful glow. Conversely, light bounced off of dark surfaces will absorb the light, rendering shadows, and even making the source of light look dull or stark.

When I was given my Christ-light, this wonderful gift of discernment and love and knowledge, I have not always wielded it with the best of intentions. At times, I've shined my light on my husband, not to make him glow, but to shine a light on his darkness, the part of him that wasn't shining so brightly. In essence, I used my light selfishly, trying to change him by highlighting his darkness, while failing to use the light on my own dark spots of sin.

At other times, I've shined my light so brightly on a mirror, bouncing my Christ-light back onto my own bright spots, even more selfishly. Look how bright I am! Look at the bright spots, how much I shine for God! Or even using my light to highlight my own need for prayer. Look how important my need to do better is!

And others? I've used it to shine my light and expose those who've never had a light themselves. Look how much darkness is in this person! They've never known God, as if this is a something it wasn't my job to help rectify.

But, what happens when we use our light the way God intended us to? What happens when I use my light to shine it towards God, instead of a mirror? Oh, the Glory! He is illuminated, and multiplied and glorified, and the path to his everlasting light is made gorgeously, illustriously clear!

And what if I shine that light on someone lost in the dark, not as a spotlight like a police cruiser might use, but as a beacon of help and of hope. What if I use my light as a flashlight to help them navigate out of the darkness, lighting the path towards the giver of light, saving their everlasting soul? How utterly, wonderfully, marvelous!

What if I use my light to shine it on the God-given light of others? Light with light illuminates so beautifully! And what if we keep going and so much light is created that it starts to soften even the darkest spots of sin, we all still have inside. What if it is so glorious and breathtaking that every soul is aching to have their own Christ-light? What if the light just keeps growing and growing and growing, and the whole world is filled with what the light brings, ultimate peace and Christ-like LOVE? Wow..

But how? How do we use our light in this way? How do we keep the light going? I'm a stay at home mom, saddled with the pain and desperation that a devastatingly painful genetic condition brings.

The secret is in the small things, the everyday interactions, even something as simple as checking out at a cash register at the grocery store. It starts with just being present, seeking The Lord in all you do.

This is my challenge for you, the "Shine Your Light Challenge"

Next time you need to go to the grocery store, or other store, or mail something or whatever task you need to do, be it alone, or with children, or even jointly with your spouse, complete this set of tasks.

1.) Be PREPARED for what you need to do, with a grocery list, or all the measurements for something you need to buy. Bring all the things you need to create a pleasant experience if you're going to be out for a bit. Bring snacks, entertainment, and whatnot, especially if you're bringing kids along.

2.) Be PRAYERFUL about what you're going to do. When you get into the car, ask God to help you through the task you have at hand. Most importantly, ask God to show you how you can be of service and shine your Christ-light today while you're out. Make sure you do this with anyone you're bringing with you.

3.) Be PRESENT. If you're doing this challenge with others, make sure you are engaged with them as you go about each step of your outings. If you're traveling with others, talk about what you need to do at the store and what your expectations of them are. If you're going alone, make sure you avoid distracted driving, so no phone use. Look around and notice things on your way. Look for hurting people, people who are waiting on the bus when it is 90 degrees outside, people who look like they're trapped in addiction, people who you may not be able to help much, but allow yourself to pray  for them, that they may be helped by others, if you're unable to help them safely.

4.) Be POSITIVE. Throughout your task, try to keep your thoughts on what you can do for others and remain positive, while driving, while completing your task, while talking with others. Don't forget to pray when you arrive at your destination and throughout your task. If you get aggravated at something you need not being there, be thankful for an opportunity to talk to someone. If you are in a long line, use this opportunity to chat with others. Ask them how they're doing. Find something to compliment them on. Ask to help them with something if they're struggling. Don't forget to ask God to show you who you can help and with what!

Whether it is helping an elderly person into the store, having a conversation with someone who is desperately lonely, buying something for someone who is hungry, praying for someone who needs it, or just simply shining your light, I trust that by being PREPARED for what you need to do so you're able to complete your own task without worry, being PRAYERFUL so that you are able to remain on God's tasks, being PRESENT so you notice others' needs (including your own family's needs), and by being POSITIVE which will give you the confidence to help someone without focusing on your own worries, you can shine your Christ-light so brightly and truly make a difference in each small task you need to complete.

If you take this "Shine Your Light Challenge", please get back to me! Tell me how you felt, how you helped, and how God was glorified!

Building Walls

All you say is that you want to be safe. 

Safe from people who might try to hurt you and your family.

Safe from people who are dressing up like the other gender who might get into restrooms and hurt your children.

Safe from people with darker skin, raised in poverty, smuggling drugs across the border.

Safe from people who dress in burkas and grew up in war torn areas who might just be here to infiltrate and kill Americans. 

Safe from anything that could bring destruction into your little safe haven you’ve created where you go to work, go to church, eat tacos on Tuesday, and post flashbacks on Facebook on Fridays. You follow the rules, you don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t curse. You’re good with God. Just stay safe.

At night you lay there thinking… what if.. what if.. what if? Build a wall. Ban this religion. Make laws to keep people out of bathrooms. This will keep us safe.

But this week, you’re not safe. In the blink of an eye, and one mouse click, you saw that a privileged young man, with money, prestigious education, and athletic prowess took the safety away from a young woman who will never feel safe again. I see you looking for someone to blame… the boy… the parents… the society. But, you’re missing the mark. It is the sin.

You can keep building your walls, banning the bad guys, higher and higher and higher, but there are holes in your levy. Big ones. You see, the sin… it doesn’t have to find a way in. It is already inside, inside each and every one of us. 

The ONLY cure for sin is salvation. When I began to believe in God, I was granted a fresh set of eyes that continues to remind me that serving others is more important than any selfish desire I have. Jesus told his disciples to GO, to get rid of ALL of their possessions and simply come FOLLOW him, spreading the good news, and giving the poor in spirit, poor in health, poor in life what they needed; healing, food, water, shelter.

Christian friends, he is asking the very same thing of you. The truth is that we can’t build a wall high enough to keep the evildoers out, because we ARE the evil doers. We fight against each other instead of helping each other. We close ourselves up into little boxes, praying that nobody comes in, where we are called to FEAR NOT and to GO and HELP. 

We should be welcoming as many foreigners and Muslims as we can. There is no question that this is “Love your neighbor.” You are probably saying, “But Jaime, what if some evil comes!?” 

I say to you, “But, what if we do such a good job at loving these evildoers that they cannot understand how anyone could possibly hate us? What if we give them everything we possibly can and not one person says to them that they don’t belong here. What if we bring the love of CHRIST to them and they are no longer bound by the laws of men?”

Then you’re probably saying, “But no American life should have to be lost so that we can help these people. We aren’t even taking care of our veterans.” 

I say to you, “Shame on you for not going to help veterans more, then. Shame on you for staying inside your box and not making this more of a priority. There is plenty of love to take care of all of those we can. There is plenty here. Do not let the greedy ones tell you there isn’t enough, because I know better. Jesus will make provisions. He always does. He fed 5,000 men plus women and children out of nothing but 5 loaves of bread and two fish!" (Matthew 14)

You might be saying, “But Jaime, I’m just scared.. I just want my uncles, cousins, brothers to be safe. They are serving in the military.”

I say to you, “Jesus told us to fear not.”

And you might say… it is just too hard for me. I can’t not worry. And I will say, “That is why the evil is inside… that is satan. Anything that is fear is manipulation from the evil one. Love your Lord with all of your heart and fear not.”

In closing, here are a few scriptural references you may find helpful.

1 John 4:18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Titus Chapter 3

3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is sure.

I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. 9 But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, 11 since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self condemned.

Not MY child!!!

Today, my MOther-In-Law and I spent a fabulous day together. We didn't do anything too outrageous, unless you call going to Cracker Barrel crazy! We pretty much just spent the whole day talking and visiting afterward on her porch veranda overlooking the Smoky Mountains. While we were there we were discussing parenting philosophies and it really got to me, thinking about what the future might hold for us! What got us started on that was her very sweet offer to take The Baby for us one day a week while we tend to our own relationship or errands we need to run. I told her that I'm glad she offered, but right now I can't leave him for more than a few hours because he's still nursing.

I also told her that The Husband wasn't too keen on leaving him there because of their tendency to feed The Baby's 2 and 6 year old cousins Diet Coke, McDonald's, Slushies, and anything pure sugar. Considering our new trend for eating and growing organic, we might just die if he ended up demanding chicken nuggets.

 Anyhow, Momma D told me how she used to get nervous anytime her boys (my dear husband and his older brother) went somewhere with their dad, Big E. She said he used to take them to the flea market and he would get so engrossed in what he was doing, he would practically forget the boys even came with him. She said that they would take off on their own and roam the flea market, unsupervised at very young ages (perhaps around 6 and 8). She says it is a wonder nobody kidnapped them. I told her nobody probably kidnapped them because they were such troublemakers.

She glanced at me with a quizzical look and I began telling her one of those "secrets" a husband tells his wife about from his childhood. My husband told me at anytime they went anywhere, their first priority was to go into the restroom, always unattended. They would then destroy every single thing they possibly could in there: unrolling all the toilet paper onto the floor, trying to clog the toilets, flooding the sinks, and pretty much anything else little boys could think was fun (and disrespectful) to do.

 Then Momma D got this faraway upset look in her eyes. She finally realized just what it was her "angels" had been doing their whole childhood, in the restrooms. It was if I had just told her Santa Claus didn't exist. She then said,"OOOOh, I TOLD Big E to go in and check on them EVERY time we went somewhere. I would always tell him that they had been in there forever and ask him to go see what they were doing! He would always tell me if they weren't out in another minute, he would go get them. But, sure enough, they would always come back before he checked on them." She told me that she had always wondered just what it was they were doing in there that took so long. She would have blistered them if she had known.

 While she was telling me this, you could see the combined look of horror and disappointment, not only with her boys, but with herself. If only she would have known, she would've stopped it. And how could she have such "evil" children, as she put it! It really got me thinking about a mother's love for her children. No matter what your kids do or how they disappoint you, they will always be loved. I thought about all of the wrong things I've done, that I intentionally hid from my parents. I was a really troubled teen and I did a lot of pretty awful stuff, some illegal, and some definitely immoral. Yet, I know, had my mom known about all of this, she would probably had the same reaction as Momma D had today: intense disappointment, some shock, but still claim her love.

 That got me thinking about my Father's love for me... No, not my human father (although I'm sure he'd share a similar reaction as my mom). I'm referring to our Heavenly Father, God. If he only loved us as much as our human mother, then it is enough to love us despite our greatest sins. For even a mother of a serial killer will still claim to love her son.

 Deuteronomy 7:9 states (NIV): Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, He is the faithful God, and keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations who love him. 1 John 4:7-11 states: Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God, knows God. Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed love among us: he sent his one and only son into the world that we may live through him. I think that this is the kind of love only a parent could give. That God loves you so much that he will overlook the ways you fail Him.

It is not the kind of love you can earn, for no matter how many things I hid from my parents, it wouldn't make them love me more. (which is pretty good since I wish you luck in hiding anything from God's eyes). There is no doubt that I have that God-love for my son and also for my spouse and definitely for my parents. I overlook any of their faults because I know that, in whole, they love me despite my own faults. But, I have to admit, curiosity has me wondering what faults I will soon be looking over in my own son... What things he might do behind my back that I will love him in spite of.

In fact, when you think about it, loving your kids is a pretty good mirror to God-love. I know one thing is for certain... My kids will NOT be going to the restroom unattended anytime soon!

While I was in Indiana, I visited both my sets of grandparents. One set is my dad's dad and his wife (my paternal grandmother passed away when I was 8, from Breast Cancer) and the other set is my mom's mom and dad (although he's the only Grandpa I've ever known and he adopted my mom, he is not my mom's biological father). Anyhow, they got to meet and visit with the Baby for the first time and I got a difficult reminder of what life looks like as you age. But, one thing REALLY bothered me while we were there, which is why I've put off writing about it for so long.

My dad's dad (Grandpa B) and wife have been living in an assisted living facility, in their own apartment, for about a decade. Through the ups and downs in their physical health, they have been able to transition from the hospital, nursing home, and back to their apartment as needed. Throughout the entire time, they've never had to deal with declining mental faculties... yet.. which is a huge praise as they are both 90 years old now.

My mom's mom (Grandma L) and dad, on the other hand, are a different story. Honestly, I suspect they are getting into the early stages of dementia. They've not had it easy in terms of physical health ever. My Grandma has had four DIFFERENT types of cancer! The first one was Stomach cancer that she got when I was 13. They caught it accidentally and she was cured by removal of most of her stomach. Next, she found out she had skin cancer and thankfully it was the slow-growing kind. Next, they found a small mass on one of her lungs and, at Mayo Clinic, they put a piece of radiation inside of her and cured her of it. Last has been Colon Cancer, and although most of it was removed, I believe she still has some. She also has been diagnosed with Parkinson's and has been nearly bed-bound for over 20 years due to emphysema.

But, these are not the things that really bother me. My grandma has had a long-standing attitude that she may die any minute which started when I was in my early teens. Although she is saved, she is not from the era of Christians who rejoiced in KNOWING they are saved, but yet she "hopes" she is saved. This is despite any Bible reading on my part to inform her of the contrary. <sigh>

But, that's not the part that really bothers me either. Seeing my grandparents age and eventually seeing their death is difficult, but yet it is part of the byproduct of having lived a long, beautiful life where they have even got to meet their great-grandchildren.

The part that bothers me is this: Because of being alone, watching a lot of TV, and side-effects from medication, and suspected dementia, my mom's parents have become very suspicious and sometimes mean. A couple of years ago, when I visited, they accused me of stealing some of their medication. I thought they were joking, but they were not. They had recently seen a documentary on TV stating how it was a growing epidemic for children and grand-children to steal their parents' and grandparents' medications. I came to find out that it was only 4 pills and my grandpa has misplaced everything from his car keys, own medicine, and GPS since... But, for this, I will always remember the pain of my grandparents thinking I would steal from them.

I was only able to visit for a few hours due to this, and I just plain miss them and the ability to speak to them regularly, without suspicion on their part.