“We were all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.”
Marianne Williamson
“You were meant to be seen. It’s time to come out from the shadows. No more hiding.” My daughter Lindsay spoke those prophetic words over me while home for the holiday. I wept because they resonated deep within me, hitting the bulls-eye of my heart. During worship I mulled them over and over in my mind. I began to analyze why I struggled with this. Why is it more comfortable for me to remain hidden? I came up with three reasons.
The first one is pride. People drawing attention to themselves makes me want to run as far away from that as possible. I fear when I’m seen, I will give in to the temptation of pride, when I desire to walk in humility. Beware of false humility, which is pride in disguise.
Secondly, I fear rejection. People become jealous and resentful of those who are successful and are in the limelight. My fear of man, the sin of caring too much about what others think, encourages me to stay back stage.
Lastly, my knee-jerk response to shame is to hide. I fear if people see my true self and discover my weaknesses, they will know I am not good enough.
The Holy Spirit began to reveal His truth to my heart, while I worshiped. He showed me when believers are seen, Jesus is seen. But when our true selves are hidden, Jesus is hidden. As Christians, we have Christ living in us, which is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27b) That one bit of understanding shifted my whole outlook on being seen. The reason why believers are to be seen is so that the world can catch a glimpse of Jesus. Instead of pride, fear, and shame keeping me in the shadows, I’m motivated to come out onto center stage, so the Jesus, who lives within me, can be seen.
Jesus encourages us in Matthew 5:14-16 to let our light, (the Jesus within us), shine. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I’ll close with this: If you want the world to see Jesus, then let yourself be seen. Hiding does us or the world, no good. So come on out of the shadows and let your light shine.
“We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.”
Marianne Williamson
Relevant Reflections:
1. What part of your true self, which is the true Jesus, is not being seen by the world?
2. What causes you to hide in the shadows?
3. How can you let your light shine this week?