Every other Sunday I spend a couple hours at a nearby McDonald’s writing while I wait for our teen to finish with his youth group’s small group meeting.

The last time I was there I noticed two ladies who came in. One had a hat full of colorful sequins. To me it sang of Christmas spirit and reminded me of the sermon I heard hours earlier about being the light of Christ. Oh, this lady was sparkly and I admired the hat.

The woman with her had a red scarf that also sparkled. She looked so warm and inviting with it. I’m not one who can naturally approach strangers, but I wanted to shout out that I loved their accessories.

But something stopped me.

Their language.

They weren’t even seated before the f-bombs landed left and right. They were both loud about their thoughts. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, they were so loud I heard them whether I wanted to or not.

-The fries were cold

-They were overcharged at their last stop

-The boyfriend was going to demand hot fries

and with every complaint, the expletives dotted their negativity.

Now if I had sensed a Holy Spirit nudge to say something, I would have. But I felt my place for that situation was to pray for them. And I did.

Their scene reminded me of a mentor sharing the time she attended a wedding and how gorgeous the bride was in her flowing dress and beautiful veil. She stopped at a nearby table, back turned, and my friend and her friends shared how breathtaking the bride was. Then, the bride turned. And now they saw the full picture. A cigarette hung off her lips, and she had a full glass of alcohol in her hands. She wasn’t just going to toast her marriage, she was ready to get bombed.

And it soured the beautiful bride image my friend had.

Both of these scenes are a good visual for me to remember because I am a Christian, my job is to sparkle whether I have a sequin hat or not. I’m not supposed to be obnoxious or annoying in my faith, but it’s the little things that really glow in a dark world.

• Going back to a store when I’ve been undercharged to make it right.
• Opening doors for people I don’t know.
• Praying over meals in public. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been approached when we do this.

There have even been times I’ve felt prompted to open up the phone book and send a message of God’s love to the name I point to, believing God has a plan for that person. I don’t promote a church or agenda, but let them know they are so special to Him that He asked me to send them a card letting them know they matter.

When believers obey we don’t just show a little light, I’m pretty sure we display wattage akin to an airfield at night. 

And that’s what we’ve been called to do.