Shine bright, sister! But what does that even mean?
As we continue the Shining Like Stars Series, I have with me Latasha Strachan who’s going to enlighten us about how to shine bright without the bling. It’s not just you. I’m all ears too!
Latasha is my Caribbean sister and founder of the Caribbean Women of Faith website. Please give her a warm welcome.
Shine Bright Without the Bling
By Latasha Strachan
Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.'” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:17-21 (NIV)
In this 19th chapter of Matthew, a very familiar story unfolds. How often have we read it and shook our heads?
“Oh, the folly of the rich!” we cry, “Oh, the folly of the young!”
If only youthfulness and wealth were the true culprits here. I have neither, yet it is still a daunting thing to follow Christ.
One of my preoccupations on my spiritual journey is the notion of goodness, which is a certain kind of wealth, or ‘bling’ if you will. I know all too well the lure of being a good person, the admiration and honor that goes with it are enticing.
For the young man in this story, it all began with wanting to be good. Jesus found that curious. He essentially asked the young man, “Why are you trying to be something that you can’t be? God is good, not you.” Ouch!
It’s easy to see this passage as evidence that the material things of this world are what keep us from the Lord, and that this man’s love of things is the reason why he was unable to follow Jesus. This, on one level, is quite true. I don’t think this young man fancied becoming a pauper. The scriptures say that he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
However, a far deeper reason the young man was disheartened may have been because until that precise moment when Jesus knocked his pristine blocks over, he was beyond reproach.
He had done enough.
He was a good person.
He was getting it right.
All he needed was a big ole ‘Jesus Seal of Approval’ on the paperwork.
But Jesus didn’t rubber stamp him. He asked him to lay down his two most valuable things, his perceived goodness, and his worldly possessions, to become a follower. Ouch!
Well, this is where things took a swift, sharp turn for the ‘heck no’. Once this young man heard the terms, he went away sad. He was probably also very confused. Why was his keeping the commands not enough? Why was his goodness not enough?
And there lies the hardship of following Christ – his and mine, and possibly yours. We want the rules. We want the yardstick. We want to be good. In fact, we want to be better than the rest!
We want to shine bright, but not always in the way that Jesus wants us to shine.
“Haven’t I been in ministry for you, Lord?”
“Haven’t I tarried with this illness for you, Lord?”
“Haven’t I fed countless hungry children for you, Lord?”
“Haven’t I endured this difficult relationship all you, Lord?”
We want the rubber stamp, just like the rich young ruler did.
We plead with Jesus to give us the thumbs up and tell us we are good by rewarding us with everything from fame, honor, recognition and praise – a little bling on our lives to symbolize our success.
I don’t know that Jesus was bent on the young man becoming poor, but I know he wanted this precious child of God to drop the ‘goody-goody’ list, jump out of the boat, leave his life behind, and follow.
Tweet ThisOnce Jesus’ ministry started, the scriptures say that people came from all over, to be healed, to be delivered, to be set free. They did not all come to follow.
Why not just get what you need from this Jesus character, and then go back to your town, your house, your status quo. Why upend your entire life for this guy? Just take the healing, take the car, take the paid off debts, go home and be grateful. When everyone sees how much you have, won’t they believe in your Saviour?
Many people met Jesus when he traversed the east over 2000 years ago, but few, far fewer than met him, actually followed him. Jesus called out, “follow me” and a handful dared to do it. No questions asked. They simply stopped what they were doing, and started doing what he was doing.
We can no longer follow him from city to city down dusty dirt roads, but we can still stop what we are doing, and start doing what he’s doing.
This is how we truly shine bright.
Here are three ways to begin:
1. Be still and know that he is God.
He is the only one who is good. Accepting this unchangeable reality places a huge blanket of humility on everything we do. It’s not that we stop doing what is right, we stop thinking that our effort is what makes it right.
2. Study the character of God.
Study the scriptures, not for a ‘word’, but to know the Word. The bible is not a book of tarot cards to interpret, it is the complex and marvelous story of God as he was experienced by man. He is revealed in these scriptures, and by the Holy Spirit. You can’t follow someone you don’t know, and can’t recognize.
3. Adopt the mind of a traveler.
Carry very little, but go very far. You don’t need much to follow him. In fact, you need far less than you think. You don’t need a name, a platform, a guest list, a to-do list.
Bring nothing but your broken humanity – your cross. All he said was,
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34 (NIV).
If that feels far too simple, far too basic, then “Welcome!” You’re here at the starting line. Jesus is already in the lead, shining brightly, and it’s not too late to follow.
How about you?
Are you being still, studying God’s character and adopting the mind of a traveler? Are you truly shining bright, friend? Or are you busy trying to be good and look good?
Meet Latasha
As a writer, teacher, and speaker, Latasha is driven by her desire to see women connect, inspire, and empower each other in God’s Spirit of love and unity. Her prayer is that women will become passionate about living free and honest lives through God’s power, mercy and grace. She and her husband Ian live in sunny Freeport, Grand Bahama and have shared fifteen years riding the phenomenal roller-coaster called ‘marriage’. They are on a wild yet fulfilling journey as they parent three exceptionally energetic boys!
You can look for her on Instagram or Facebook as well as visit her at Caribbean Women of Faith
This post is part of the Shining Like Stars series. Read all of them here.
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Thankyou Latasha! The bling is cheap and temporary. To shine as a star needs intentionality to simply seek and follow, every day, every hour.
This will hit home with many of us. It’s rewarding to go after that gold star! But the Lord wants us to follow HIM, not the bling. Thanks for pointing this out. You are shining, Latasha!