To the ones who stand out in a good way

By William F. Holland Jr.

DD., C.ED.D.

Have you ever known someone that you admired because of who they were? There is something special and refreshing to witness the light and love of Christ shining brightly in one of His children. I know a sweet lady like this. I will not mention her name because she does not like the attention of anyone telling her how wonderful she is, even though it’s true. She just enjoys working and serving quietly in the background no matter where she is or what she’s involved with.

For example, if someone mentions that something needs cleaning she immediately goes to work. If something needs to be done, she is always the first one to show up and the last one to leave. More than this, she is genuinely kind, tenderhearted, gracious, generous, and filled with God’s love.

I’ve known this person and her husband for several years as he was an artist and eventually, they became involved in our local theatre where I am also a cast member. Her husband passed away recently, and he was also very humble and talented. We all miss him dearly. If you’ve been around people like this, you know what I’m talking about as it seems they have a special glow around them. What is it? It has to be the Spirit of Christ illuminating from within them.

I realize no one is perfect but God, but I believe there are still a few people in this world who have discovered how to be aware of God’s presence all the time. They are determined to have a clean and pure heart because they are in love with Jesus and desire to do His will. This is no doubt how God wants all of His children to be.

I will be honest, I’m drawn to people like this, I want to know more about how they live and what they do to be filled with God. I was thinking about this lady recently after one of our weekend performances at the theatre, and there she was glowing as brightly forever. I can’t help it, it convicts me and makes my eyes watery. Maybe it convicts and exposes how I am not walking as close to God as I should.

I decided to give her a call and without being weird, I wanted to tell her that I sense God in her, and if she didn’t mind, I wanted to know her secrets of being a wonderful witness for Christ. Of course, she brushed off my compliments and was blushing as usual. She went on to say that she is nothing special and just an average person.

She said every morning when she awakens, she begins talking to the Lord. Her prayer goes something like this: “Jesus help me to be like you today. Help me to do and say what you want instead of what my flesh wants. May I have compassion and meekness and may your presence shine in my heart so that others can see you. In your holy name, I pray, amen.” I realize that many of us start our day with something similar, but when she relayed this simple commitment, I could sense her childlike innocence and Godly wisdom.

I believe that praying is the key to whatever we seek to accomplish for God, but also we must put works with our faith for it to succeed.

We find in Matthew 5:14, where Jesus compares His followers to light containers, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put a covering over it.”

C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “Don’t shine so others can see you, shine so that through you, others can see Him.” When we realize what God wants us to be, we are then faced with deciding just how much we will do. If we truly want others to see Christ in us, our responsibility is to manage and control our thoughts.

Being transformed by the renewing of our mind requires self-discipline or else our words and deeds will be governed by carnal thinking. Our behavior is the impression we leave and in this light we have the choice to be whatever type of person we desire to be. What people see is what they remember, and all that we have accomplished in the past means nothing if we are not manifesting the love of Jesus today.

Dr. Holland is a licensed and ordained minister, author, and chaplain. Watch his music video, “Refuge” at billyhollandministries.com.