Don't Worry, Your Fingers Won't Get Burnt If You Let Your Light Shine

Being the father I decided something along time ago, that I wanted my children to be who they were meant to be. Not what I wanted them to be but what they were meant to be. As a parent it can be easy to impose your dreams for your children on to them. It's not something done out of malice. You love your children and so you try to force them to be which you think that they should be, so that they'll be happy and more importantly be safe and well taken care of. I think most of us would agree that each person is born with a set of talents. Being an artist one of the most grave crimes I've seen is when I see talent, or rather talented people, go to waste. I can't tell you how many times I've met a beautifully talented person, and because they've made bad decisions in their lives have walked down a road and become something they were never intended to become. What's worse is those who feel like, because they've made bad choices in their life, think that their life is over and that they can never get back on track. In my house I like to talk about dreams. I encourage my children to think, to dream. I looked him in the eye, and I tell them that I will never never told him the word no. Dreams are sacred. They are beautiful. I believe that dreams are inspired by God. So whether my child tells me that they want to be the president of the United States, a fortune 500 businessman or a millionaire YouTuber, I never laugh I merely encourage. I tell my children you,"You tell me who or what you want to be and I will help you get there. If I don't know we will learn together." I know how beautiful my children are. I know how special they are. I want them to be proud of themselves. I want them to love themselves. I want their soul to shine like a bright light because that's how special they are.

God is much the same. God knows you better than you know yourself. God knows what you're capable of, and how beautiful you are. He has endowed you with all of your talents. God merely wants to love you and help you become the most beautiful that you can possibly be. Now I think we can agree that the world is a crazy topsy-turvy place. The world is amazing but there's also lots of distraction. Moreover there's lots of temptation. I can't tell you how many times in my life I've been tempted to stop, shut up and never be heard from again. I can't tell you how many times as an artist I've been told my ideas were stupid. I can't tell you how many years I've wasted because I decided to listen to the world instead of God who was trying to inspire my heart. Know this, that God knows how beautiful and amazing you are, so too does Satan and he wants to make sure that you do not shine. Satan wants you to be afraid he wants you to cower in the corner. He wants the light of God inside your heart to be extinguished and never be lit again. He will use every tool in his arsenal to keep you from being a beautiful child of God. He will try to distract you with the sinful pleasures of the world. Satan wants to turn you into a pig that wallows in its own filth and eats the rotten. Satan wants you to choose to turn away from God so that you can join him in hell, where he can torchere you for eternity. Why, because Satan hates you. Satan hates you because you are a beautiful creation of God, and because Satan hates God because he wants to be God he wants to destroy everything that God has made.

It's easy to get lost in this world. It's easy to get distracted. Satan and his demons are professionals when it comes to distracting, tempting and persuading. Then they will double down by making you feel horrible for all the sins they tempt you into into doing. In those moments you consider returning to God after sinning, Satan and his demons will make you feel like you were unworthy. They will clutter your heart and mind and make you feel like you're too disgusting, and that God will never take you back. 

Here's the truth though, God he loves you. Just like a good parent, who always worries and hopes that they're lost child will return, God too loves you, and is always waiting to spend time with you so that he can love you. Am I a Christian? Yes, but I am no perfect man. I have sinned more than I can even recall. Just because I'm a Christian does not make me perfect. Being a Christian means using Jesus Christ as an example. Being a Christian means being a disciple. I am trying to follow the discipline of Jesus Christ. I still fall. I still sin. The difference between being a Christian and not being a Christian means that when I sin I realize I've hurt relationship between me, God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and just like when I betray a relationship or hurt a relationship with anyone here on earth I go and I asked for forgiveness. I go and I make amends with those that I've hurt. God is always there. He is always waiting to love you. He's waiting to help you become the best person you can be, that shines love in every step and you make through this world. God loves you so much he sent his only son Jesus Christ to this world to teach you. Jesus came and walked the earth to teach us all how to love. Jesus came to bring us hope. Most importantly Jesus came to save us when we didn't know we needed saving. Jesus came and he died for your sins and my sins and the sins of all. On our own we cannot reach heaven. Through Jesus we can reach heaven and God. It is only through Jesus' saving grace. You cannot earn your way into heaven. You can only get there through Jesus. 

You maybe wondering that with even all this said how are you to navigate the world. Well, God loves you so much, that he daily is willing to send another part of himself to you. The gifts of the Holy Spirit can help you get through anything. They can steer you clear and help you get through any traps that Satan and his demons late for you. 

Know this though most, of all you are loved. You are a precious gift. You are a precious creation of God. The only thing holding you back from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is you. The greatest gift God gave you is free will, you, get, to, choose!

So today is the day the day it all can begin, if you choose. Today is the day you can start becoming that shining light. Today is the day you can decide to become a child of God. Today is the day you can begin the journey to see what God has in store for you. It all starts with you. It all starts with that prayer to God and asking him to come into your life. God wants a home inside your heart. God wants you to radiate with happiness and love. God wants you to become strong and shine so that you can be a guiding light for others who are lost in this world, so that you can help them to God so that he can love them as well. Do not hide your light. Do not hide your purpose. Do not waste your talent. Be that mighty city on the hill that welcomes all to God. For when we allow God to teach us and help us to become the best we can be we can become saints in heaven. 

MT 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Riding the Bench?

I have never really been good at sports. At an early age I tried out for many like other the other boys but I was small and uncoordinated. I tried but the drills were boring and I would rather goof off than do something boring and uneventful. Consequently I rarely got to actually play in any games. I could play of a game of which caused what, the chicken or the egg but the end result was still the same. Later in life I found a love for music. I wanted to write songs. Most start in music around elementary or junior high school. Most take piano lessons as a child. But for some reason at the age of 21 I decided that I wanted to write and preform songs. I had no idea of what to do or how to do it so I studied. I did not give up and now the last time I tried to count I figured that I have written about 300 songs. 

I have said before that God doesn’t like lazy. Its true, he made this wonderful planet for us to live on and above other creatures to take care of. Its our job to take care of it and one another. God wants us to respect, love and worship him for the gifts of this world and the talents he has bestowed on us. He was us to give back to him. He wants us to tithe at Chruch and give back 10% of all that we have. That’s not much he is asking when you think about it. He also wants us to use our talents to help him. If say, we can write songs, he wants us to write some for him. If we are good with money then he wants us to help him with his so that the Church’s charities can do more and help more in need. I have heard some say, “I have no talents.” For those I think that they just don’t know what their talents are yet. I encourage each and everyone to pray and ask God what your talents are and how to help him using them. For those, “with no talent” you can still help. You can love and nurture someone when they are down. You can help feed the hungry, collect items for the poor and pray for salvation of lost souls. Everyone has a part they can play in God’s kingdom no matter big or small. 

Matthew 25:14-30

14"For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. 17So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, `Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' 21His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' 22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, `Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' 23His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' 24He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, `Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26But his master answered him, `You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'

A Thought: Wasted Talent

As this school year approaches I have a great deal of hope in my heart. I have a wonderful son who is now 12 going on the dreaded teens. He is very talented and smart but he hasn’t found the drive to put it into action. He is at that awkward stage between boyhood and manhood and it is my job to usher him through it safely. I feel very lucky to get to do so. Last year we had issues with him because on his tests he would do very well but he was getting D’s and F’s because he was failing to do any of his homework. He knew the material but just didn’t want to take time out of his day from playing video games to do his homework. 

I find that I meet a lot of people like that. I meet people with extraordinary talents but because they are caught up in their own lives of what they want to do they do not make the best of them. God gives us talents not for us but for others. He wants us to take care of each other and gives us each complimentary talents to help each other. Its like the old story about two rooms full of people with extra long spoons. In the one room everyone is starving cause they can’t feed themselves. The other room everyone is happily getting along because they have learned to feed each other.  

God knows that his creation works best when we love each other and get along. Loving means helping and that means casting aside what we want for ourselves sometimes. I have had some tell me that to be a Christian you don’t have to do good works. That by faith alone you can get into heaven, but I think something major is lost there. I can understand why some are afraid to help others. It takes you out of your comfort zone. But if Jesus came to earth and taught us to take care of each other and to love one another than how can we be “good” Christians if we are casting a blind eye on those in need? When you look at the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes it basically boils down to this. Love the Lord your God with all your body, mind and soul and love each other as you would want others to love you. What good are my talents if I don’t use them? It seems like I would just be throwing away perfectly good food when there are so many hungry and alone in this world. 

Matthew 5:13-16

13"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. 14"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.