“You, O Lord keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into Light”  Psalm 18:28

I was just listening to Philippa Hanna’s song Lighthouse in my car.  In it she sings a line “I feel not good enough but you light me up”  It’s repeated twice in a row and crescendos on the second which gives it impact and it made me think about how our opinions, feelings and standards of ourselves get in the way of God’s blessing so much.  We are like stained glass lanterns, beautifully crafted in bright colours.  Each pane representing a unique and special facet of the character God created us with.  I have a lantern just like this at home and it has a little door with a tiny catch on it where you put the candle.  Situations, opinions, tough relationships and criticism come at us frequently throughout our lives.  These play on our minds and sadly grind us down and make us feel unworthy….What have I got to offer anyone?  How can God love me, I’m ugly and undesirable?  Often this criticism comes from within.  Over time we have believed the lies and they darken our perception of ourselves.  As a result, the lantern stays dull and no one gets to see the beautiful colours.  We keep the latch firmly shut, trying to appear to be doing well and keeping our real self hidden.

God longs to change all of that.  If you open the catch of your heart and allow Him in, He will light you up. He will shine through you in true colourful brilliance.  He delights in you and your uniqueness….He thinks you’re so amazing that He sings over you.  When you let Him into your life the darkness falls away and all the true colours of who He made you to be will be illuminated.   The lies will burn away and you can rest in the truth of the valuable, cherished person you are.  Open the catch of your heart today and let him light you up.

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”  Zeph 3:17