Shining

As I walked into her room I knew I was about to meet someone very special. Sitting up in her bed, her tiny 7 year old frame sat there as if she was an actress ready for an interview. She was merely breathtaking.  She smiled so big, I was immediately in love. I introduced myself to her and she scrunched her nose and immediately pulled up a crayon colored mask she had just finished. “Oh you are going to play shy Lex*?” I evidently got her all wrong as she lowered her mask and smiled, her eyes were so dark and beautiful, she had such long eyelashes, she was the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long time. I sat with her as she described to me all the cute boys on Disney and told me of all the prizes she has won for being so smart. We made a sand art butterfly that she named after herself and had me place in the window. “Everyone needs to see her,” she said referring to the pride she had of her art piece. I left that room saying to myself, “everyone needs to see her.” I was sent to her room because she had no visitors, I was supposed to keep her company and I was the one that left so inspired and encouraged. I wondered to myself ‘why does no one visit her?’ ‘everyone needs to see her.”

That same morning my mom was talking to me about my uncle being very ill and although he has struggled with kidney issues for years now they think he may have leukemia. We joined hands to pray for him in the living room. As we prayed my mom’s prayers turned to me “God, help Amber today, help her to know she is loved, it is hard not feeling loved and not knowing you are loved. Father help her to remember she is a star. Help her remember she is a star, she shines brightly for You.”

As much as I tried not to cry I felt my heart melt. I don’t voice it much but in the moment I felt like God was so near and He knew all my insecurities and ‘lack of’s’ and despite all of it He was saying He still believes I am a star.

Life is so bright and colorful, I have no excuse not to be a star. Lex is a very ill girl and she was the brightest star I have seen in a long time! I was reading the other day out of I John the difference between light and darkness. A stumbling block for me is lingering in darkness and listening to the enemy’s opinion. I need to cling to the Light, walk in Light and love in Light. I am challenged to stay colorful because “everyone needs to see her.”