Dear God, Help Me Glow

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

A few days ago, while I was getting ready to sleep, I remembered the days when I used to feel broken from the inside. The days when I felt like settling for breadcrumbs was okay because getting little from the man I loved was better than not getting anything. The days when looking at the mirror was my biggest fear because I didn’t like what I see.

I remembered the lonely nights crying myself to sleep, asking God to heal me and make me better and hoping that the day where my heart would feel complete would come soon.

Eight months later, I’m a completely different person. I’m still working on me, but I’m slowly learning that to be completely happy, I have to be my priority.

There are days when I fail, others when I feel lonely, and others when I feel like a mess. Some days I want to disappear or cry in my room until I have no more tears left, but then I remember every time someone has told me, “You are glowing differently now.”

It took me a while to understand that the glow is not something related to how I’m doing on my career, how I look, or how comfortable I feel with my looks; instead, the glow comes from the new heart God has given me.

The Bible says that He makes everything new, and me, a completely imperfect human being, was skeptical to this until I had my first heartbreak. Since then, God showed me that with His power, He can take the shattered pieces and make them something new, something shiny and more beautiful than it was before.

With a new heart, the way you view life changes. You instantly become more thankful for what you have and learn to not take for granted your blessings. You learn that it’s better to give back than to receive, and finally, you learn that only with God by your side, you are able to overcome any trouble.

It took me a while to realize that God lets some things happen, but all that pain and tears have a purpose, and that purpose is to bring you closer to Him, to make your life a testimony of His greatness, and to make you shine with His unique and powerful light.