Just Shine!
On a daily basis I hear many women talk about their dreams and goals. Oh, they speak about it with such passion! They want to start a business. They want to teach something. They want to be great at something. They want to be a change agent for the betterment of mankind. They want to start a cause or movement to change the world.
I listen and get excited with them. I'm ready to support their cause. Then I ask, "Where can I get more information?" Then there is silence. "Well... I haven't... I was gonna... and I shoulda... woulda... coulda...." Get the picture?
Let me put this on your heart. All the Lord asks us to do is shine. Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." This scripture makes me think about a candle, sitting on a desk, or in a window, or on a shelf surrounded by family portraits. I love candles, especially the fancy scented ones!
Imagine you are a candle. What's the candle's primary job? To shine. That's it. Is it required to light the whole world? No, that's the sun's job. It is only required to shine wherever it is placed.
Another interesting point is that candles don't talk. Even the scripture says to shine, not to talk. We all know talk is cheap. I know people who can talk the horns off a billy goat, but they never take action. Listen, God has put something in you to help others. You can talk all day, all night, all month, and for years on end, but if you never put it out there, we'll never see your light.
So I just want to encourage you to start where you are. Today. Turn on your light by taking some kind of action. Stop talking and DO something different. Do something we can see. Start something we can follow. Put something out there that we can share with others. It doesn't have to be grand. You just have to be willing to shine.
Proverbs 31:18, "She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night."
Live virtuously, my friends!
Angela Valentine
Founder, The Virtuous Businesswomen's Network
