Dear GutsIsKey Reader; It has been a while since I last wrote a GUTS installment. But have no fear; here is another and they will continue for a long time to come.

     G.U.T.S. # (30) – Glow Unless Time Stops – What should stop us from a good outlook?  Nothing. Jesus said “let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works & glorify your Heavenly Father.” If a light is shining; it glows.

     The word glow is defined as: “to shine with or as if with, an intense heat” and “to show exuberance or elation.” The challenges and trials of life can quench our fire, if we let them. They can turn our shine, into a whine. The best of us suffers this temptation; of letting distress eliminate our happiness in life. For this reason, perhaps there is no more important time to practice an attitude of gratitude, than when the trials of life press us with pain.

     There is little evidence of a triumphant human spirit that glows, when everything is coming up roses. No, it is when pain is present and difficulty dire that glowing attitudes reveal something wonderful in a person. The noblest and most elevated souls I have ever met are those that have an unconquerable spirit, even in the midst of terrible problems.

     The only time that a person of faith has a true excuse for not having a radiance that reflects a grateful and appreciative heart is when life stops. As long as there is a today; we should strive to encourage and uplift each other. Hebrews 3:13 says: encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,”

     Consider great champions of life, like mother Theresa. Who though she worked in the squalor of Calcutta, India lived in a joy that few will ever attain in a mansion.  Or consider Corrie Ten Boom, who even in the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp; found the very real hope and comfort of God.

      Like these great champions of the art of life. Each one of us should Let the living light shine in our heart and let our glow shine on our fellow human beings. Think about those words “Living Light.” The concept of living light is really important, if we would have the “life more abundant” that Jesus promises in John 10:10. The light that can invigorate us, even in the midst of challenge and suffering is ALIVE. It is not just inanimate energy but the very real presence and life of a genuine and present Divine companion.

     If we serve and love this wonderful, benevolent Divine Helper, we will radiate His presence.  We will not have to work to shine with this holy presence.  A light does not have to work at shining. It is a natural byproduct of being a good receptor of the power flowing through it. All we really have to do is open up, accept and reflect the very real presence of God that He offers, to those who humbly seek Him.

     Guts really is the key. If we dare to live in God’s comfort and joy, more than our complaints and hurt; then we can learn to Glow every day. Regardless of external circumstance; we can experience internal peace. But it is a gift of accepting the life. No bulb works, until it is plugged into a power source.

     If we learn to Let God in; His Spirit will radiate through us and His light will emanate from us. The whole point of Guts #3o is to remind each of us to: Let the Light in and get your glow on.

“Slam” a.k.a. Tim G Carter