You were made to shine

She knows nothing but shining.

She twirls, head back, her laugh a waterfall, cascading, filling the room. I laugh too, holding her damp starfish hands in my own, twirling with her, jumping, dancing.

Unencumbered. 

Right then, as I dance with Heidi, I feel how God intended us to feel. Wildly loved. Cherished. Beautiful. Uninhibited. Free. I listen to the song that’s playing, and a tear spills over, down my cheek, as I look at her and realize that her entire life will be filled with opportunities for that shining to be dimmed. Hidden. Shrouded.

Shrouded by shame.

After Eve sinned, she hid.

We’ve been hiding ever since.

She hid, rightly, because she had nothing but fig leaves to cover her marred image of God.

But we have the blood of Jesus Christ.

Shame was defeated at the cross. 

Because sin was defeated at the cross. 

Apart from sin we have nothing to be ashamed of.  ”When we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Meaning this: We need not walk in shame. 

My shining daughter knows nothing of shame. She knows nothing of the cruelty of 10-year-old girls (and 32-year-old girls!). She knows nothing of abuse. And even though I call her my little bunny, someday someone will call her a beaver because of those precious, beautiful teeth.

The world will sling mud at us, that we know.

So will we walk in shame? Or will we shine?

I remember a few years ago Jeff and I attended attended an art unveiling in Bend.  At the unveiling, we met the painter’s wife and two daughters.  One daughter, a freshman in high school, had some birth defect which had misshapen one side of her face.  However, when I met her, she just shined, beaming, welcoming me and oohing and ahing over Dutch, teasing that she wanted to be the president of his fan club, and wondering if she could marry him when he grew up.  She stood tall and looked me in the eye, a glowing, beautiful, shining, utterly confident girl.  She obviously knew this truth.

Whether or not we walk in shame depends entirely upon what we believe. About God. About ourselves. About the cross.

If the cross has covered all of our sin, we have nothing of which to be ashamed. 

We can shine.

As Heidi and I continued to spin, dance, laugh, I prayed God’s mercy on my little girl, that she would shine His glory all her days. The song we were listening to? You were made to shineby the Sonflowerz. The dear girls I had the joy of ministering with several times last year. They wrote this song after talking to a 12-year-old girl who had been bullied and ridiculed by other girls, who had been walking in shame. It goes like this:

I won’t repeat what they said
They tore you down and broke your heart
The words resound in your head
And make you feel like nothing
I know you’re chosen for great things
Child of God, a work of art
Fancy clothes and diamond rings
will never match what you are worth
Hold on to the beauty inside of you
No one can take that away

You were made to shine
A brilliant light to radiate His glory
You were made to shine
Its your life, its a new beginning
More than the stars in the night sky
You were made to shine

Now is the time to stand your ground
Be the spark you’re meant to be
Let the glow of love abound
Show the dark its remedy
God’s love is the fire inside of you
No one can take that away
You were made to shine

Oh You were made to shine His glory
Oh You were made to shine
Oh You were made to shine His glory
Oh You were made, You were made
God’s love is the fire inside of you
No one can take that away

{UPDATE: I’m excited to announce the Sonflowerz’ new MADE TO SHINE kickstarter, tour, and pre-teen devotional going on right now. Please take a moment and check out this fabulous opportunity to support these beautiful girls.}

And now: I pray, sisters, you could believe Christ’s work on the cross to remove all shame, and walk in fullness and freedom today. Now, it’s time for you to go dance. Thanks, friends, for reading.