Sunday Sunshine: Shine!

After conducting an informal survey on social media, I learned that a brief, positive, pick-me-up post on Sunday mornings would potentially be more beneficial to readers of this blog than a Monday morning post. Monday mornings tend to be hectic for many of us, leaving little time to read a blog post while racing around to get ready for the work and school week. So, beginning today, Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday officially ends and will be replaced by Sunday Sunshine. Each Sunday morning at 6:00 a.m. Central Time this year, you’ll find a brief post on this blog designed to give you encouraging, affirming, positive thoughts to end your weekend and jump-start your week. So, here’s the first Sunday Sunshine post for 2019:

You've likely heard that biblical passage about not allowing your light to be hidden under a bushel basket. Don't conceal your talents, your abilities and those things that make you uniquely you. The light that is you is meant to be brightly lit and cast out in the open where it can be appreciated.

Perhaps it's shyness that keeps your light flickering. It might be not wanting to stand out for fear that someone will find fault. It might be that you equate shining with showing off. Maybe you're afraid of what your light might do for you -- in positive ways! 

Don't let your negative "head" messages keep you from being your unique and beautiful self. You have so much to offer. Release the shackles of your shyness. Sweep away those inhibitions. Come out from under that bushel basket and shine on!

Today, this week: Let your light shine!

This Little Light

My good friend Donna and I have taken on the task of creating a time and talent survey for our church.  The survey provides our church members with the opportunity to indicate the ways they would like to serve our church community and beyond with their own unique talents and gifts.  A few weeks ago during Sunday service, the children sang "This Little Light of Mine," admonishing us all with their light little voices, cheery faces and cute gestures to illustrate the song, that we should let our own lights shine.  Over and over that Sunday, through song, through scripture, through the words of the sermon, we were reminded that we are each given amazing gifts and talents that are uniquely our own and that it is a blessing and a privilege to contribute our talents to the greater good, regardless of how small or large we believe those talents to be.  I believe we're all called to be lights in the world, simply by letting our own little lights shine.