How to Shine Your Light – Even During COVID_19

When I was little, I remember one song I loved to sing over and over:

 “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”

 I can still remember the words plus the hand motions we would do in our Sunday School class.  

Another version that makes me happy is by Bruce Springsteen, even though they didn’t do hand motions. (Click here for a video that will pick you up today!)

This song encourages me to let my light shine. Show the world the hope I have in Jesus. *

But some days it’s just hard, folks. Where I am in Central Texas, we are in week seven of sheltering at home. I think it is the 46^thday today.  Or the 47^th.

 Not that I’m counting, of course. 

When all of us thought we were getting near the end of this pandemic, we heard Austin had not yet “flattened the curve.” On Day 30 of the lockdown, we received a new mandate: everyone must wear masks in public.  

When you hope COVID_19 is becoming a thing of the past, we have to one more thing we don’t want to do.  

A couple of weeks ago, I had to do the dreaded grocery run. Grocery shopping isn’t fun for me, and it’s even more frustrating now with the lockdown.  It is a fast, crazy, cart-filled shopping trip so that I don’t have to go out again for several days. With the new mask requirement, it created another reason not to like grocery shopping. 

I was trying to stay positive.

Let my light shine. 

The only mask we had at home at the time was a dark, army-green colored mask that, unfortunately, was not 100% cotton. 

It was so hot. 

After 10 minutes in the store, I was miserable.  And I was starting to get just a little bit cranky.

When I made eye contact with other customers, I did my best to make a silly remark about masks and laugh.  They would smile and agree. 

As I arrived at the check-out line, I realized that I had done something unintentionally. 

I had left on my sunglasses. In the store. The entire shopping trip.

Once I got to the car, I had such a good laugh at myself — and got tickled even more when I realized the reason for all the weird looks and polite smiles I had received in the store!  Hopefully, they got a good chuckle from this menopausal mother whipping around the store to get groceries as she suffered another hot flash.  

This is life right now. And even though we tend to want to focus only on ourselves, one of the best things we can do is to be positive and offer hope to others when we must get out into the world, and especially at home through social media. 

Be friendly. Smile. Reach out how you can. Do silly things to make someone laugh.

What are you doing to share positivity and hope right now?

No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  – Matthew 5:15

 *Romans 15:13; Hebrews 6:19a