Why Radiant and Righteous?

When God gave me this name a little over a year ago, I couldn’t help but think, “Me?  Radiant and Righteous?  God, you know everything about me, and this is what we are going with?  Who am I to question God, but there I was, trying to talk God out of my heavenly name. (You ever try to argue with God or talk him out of something?  You are not alone, sister)! Papa, yeah, I used to be the light and felt like I could brighten any room.  Now, I’m probably in what I would call the darkest season of my life, and you want me to call myself radiant and righteous?!”

Radiant means to send out light: shining or glowing brightly. I am not sure about you but this last year took a bit of a toll on me. 2020 was the year I saw the world around for what it was. As a good friend and mentor of mine, Heather Shriver Burns would say, It has been a brutiful  (beauty + brutal) season.  It was beautiful in the sense of how God was really showing up and waking me up about many things that I needed to grow through, how I needed to rely on and trust him truly. It was brutal in the way that I, sincerely, had to self-reflect and face a lot of things that have hurt me.  Things that still hurt me.  Ways that I may have hurt others.  You know, all the baggage we carry.  It was a lot of tough love. But thankfully, the  God we serve is so gentle and patient with us. He is so faithful and true and so gentle with us.  I am still unpacking my baggage, for the record, purging some things. Organizing others with God as the priority and the professional packer.  You see, God is showing me he wants me to refuse to dwell on all the negativity going on around me and in me.  I need to let go of the need to be right and instead hold firm to his word.

Righteousness is to be in right standing with God. So you can imagine, I, for sure, was arguing with God about this. Like really God, but my past?  What will they say?  Now again, those of you who have ever argued with God or tried to talk him out of something know how this goes.    His response is often something so simple, and you look up like, “ya got me again.” Sometimes the answer is so simple and so true. I felt the spirit of the Lord tell me, “when they come for you, remember what I said.  It’s because of my grave and your belief in me and what I did at the cross…you are made right. You are fully known and loved by the King of kings. I know everything, and I love you! It is done. You are good with me—right standing. Remember whose you are”. Instantly I remembered that 3 years ago God spoke to me as we lived in Louisiana.  I was heartbroken that my sister, whom I am super close with, had cancer. I was 12 hours away. He told me then “you gotta go through some stuff to get where I need you to be”. He was right, as always. Been through a lot of stuff throughout my life.  He always makes away.  It reminds me of the quote from Rachel Hollis, “God has perfect timing, and it’s highly possible that by not being where you thought you should be, you will end up exactly where you’re meant to go. So, there I was, talking to God about how unrighteous I thought I was.  Like seriously God, there is nothing righteous about me. I guess I thought I needed to be holier than thou to be considered righteous. But GOD!  It so happens that I came across one of Michael Todd’s sermons.  He addressed that being righteous means being in the right standing with God.  To believe that Jesus Christ is our lord and savior and the son of God.  That is all we have to do to be set right with God. You see, through Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice and his amazing grace, we are made righteous.

God took me from the darkness to light!  From living in sin to being righteous. He wants that for you too! Yes, I am still broken. Yes, I have doubts about feeling qualified. But I have a purpose in him, and he has plans for me.  He will qualify me in every area I need to fulfill his purpose. Without him, I am nothing but with the great, I am with me, and I can do all things!! Including sharing my story and putting myself out there to help bring others to him!

Holy Spirit,  fill us up so much that your love overflows into others, bringing them closer to your love and light. Father, let anyone reading this feel your light shining in them for others to see. Let them feel your presence and peace, wanting to do a work in them and through them. Lord, let only your thoughts define us as we let go of the past, fears, and feelings. Father God, guard our hearts with your truth and light. Lord, thank you.  You are our shepherd; we lack nothing! In you, we are made new, and you hand-picked us for a purpose. Let your love lead the way.  Let your will be done in our lives.  Thank you for all you are and all you are in and through your children. In your son, Jesus, precious name. Amen

Ephesians 5:8-9 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Daniel 12:3 Men and women who have lived wisely and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies. And those who put others on the right path to life will glow like stars forever.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.