Tag: light

Achieve Your Dreams

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. – Coach Carter

Know Your Enemy

Who is your enemy? Who is stopping you from accomplishing that goal/dream that you have set ? Can you see them? Are you looking in the mirror?

The number one enemy to what you want to accomplish in life isn’t The Man, or the devil, or your boss that won’t promote you. Your number one, top of the list, enemy is YOU! We get in our own way more often than we will admit or like to admit. It’s a lot easier to blame someone else for our problems than it is to take responsibility for them. Once we do take responsibility for our life, then we can change our life. It can be the life that we dreamed of.

It's time to look in the mirror. There is greatness on the inside of you
It’s time to look in the mirror

Run your own race. It’s your life, it’s up to you on how your life turns out. What will be accomplished in your lifetime?  Choose to accomplish your dreams and build the life that you want. Too many times we settle for the life that society gives us. We can have an attitude that goes with the flow. Where we do the things that we think we’re supposed to do.

Where was I Going

I grew up in a middle class town where graduating from high school was a given and it was assumed that you would go to college. I’m grateful for this place and position that I’m in, but I’m also not going to settle for being average. A lot people learn from trial and error that college isn’t for them. In either case, I know I had not spent time thinking about what I wanted my life to look like. Most high school students would say the same thing. I don’t want a life that consists of working day in and day out with no impact on the world. I honestly don’t believe that most of us want that either. Yet, somehow we find ourselves in this very location.

I dream of a future where my children can work to pursue their dreams, not where they work because they need the paycheck. Does this happen with a average mindset? I don’t think it does. I look to others who have accomplished their dreams, not to compare myself but as inspiration that what I dream is possible.

Comparisons Will Stop You

Forbes recently published an article that dives into the effects of comparing ourselves to other people. The article highlights how comparing ourselves to what we see online can lead to a more negative view of ourselves . In a world of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram we are comparing ourselves to someone else’s curated content.

Social media and reality tv have lead us to a place where we would rather watch people live their lives rather than live our own. In a time where we are supposed to be a more connected to the world, we’ve never been more isolated.

We need to run our own race. Not our friends race, not a celebrities race, but our own. The world needs the great ideas that you have on the inside of you. There is a light on the inside of you that needs to shine. We can do this! We were made to walk on water!

What is keeping you from going after your dream?

 

3 Ways to Let Your Light Shine

Have you ever seen Tomorrowland? I recently watched this movie and there is a scene near the end of the movie where Hugh Laurie’s character gives a passionate speech. I won’t retell the entire speech, but it caught my attention because it was about being comfortable where we are. We can see signs all around us that are begging for us to step up and make the world better. Instead we don’t to anything because we don’t want to change. You can watch the speech here. This got me to thinking specifically about my relationship with God, and then I thought broader to Christians as a whole and our place in the world. Everyday I have the chance to impact someone’s life for the better. Each time I wake up and step out the door , I can show someone the love of God. I’ll admit that I don’t always do that. There are days where I just go about my business and get done what I need to for the day.
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.
The recent mass shooting in Las Vegas is front and center in the news right now. It is sad that it takes a tragedy as horrific as this to get people to open up and want to love one another. As Christians we should be leading the way in living lives that “Glorify our Father in heaven”. Our lives should shine brightest in the darkest of times. The love that we show should be what will draw others to Christ. Here is how we can let our light shine:

Be bold.

There is a reason that a candle stands out in a dark room. It draws your eyes towards it and it helps you to see what is around you. Being bold is not fighting on social media to defend your faith, or arguing with neighbors and friends about the “Christian thing” to do. Let your lifestyle shine and it will draw people in.

Be humble.

Matthew 5:16 says that our good works are seen but they are seen so that God can get the glory. It’s hard to point someone to the God of love, if I take credit for all the good in my life. I would be bragging on myself and I’m not that great that I can, nor should I do that. We have to give God  first place in  our lives. In times of tragedy, it can be easy to say what we are doing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to help, but it is better to put action to my words instead of just talking

It’s a matter of heart.

I truly believe that only God can change someone’s heart. Change them to see the value in life, including their own. It doesn’t matter the type of tragedy, what is important is that if we will let our lights shine then God will continue to get the glory. It is His love that fuels our lights. His love is what powers us day by day to live better lives and impact the hearts of those that we come in contact with everyday. You[ctt template=”8″ link=”lbp5B” via=”no” ]Your life will shine better than anything that comes out of your mouth[/ctt] Let’s not let another tragedy come without giving God the chance to shine through us. What can you do to be an example of God’s love today?