September 24, 2026, the 267th day of 2026
A Sparkling Hard Road
When we are a child of God, we want to be used of God. We want to shine. We want to make Him proud of us. We want Him to get excite... View MoreSeptember 24, 2026, the 267th day of 2026
A Sparkling Hard Road
When we are a child of God, we want to be used of God. We want to shine. We want to make Him proud of us. We want Him to get excited about how far we have come.
But sometimes we want to do what God did not make us for. We look at a Christian singer, actor, author, dancer, preacher, the ones who seem to be standing on a sparkling stage, known and loved by their peers, cheered on and supported in their work.
We stand in obscurity and wonder why our talents are not appreciated and why our hard work is ignored.
We may begin to envy the position those with such success are in, seemingly blessed by God so much more, doing so much more with the same amount of time that we have, some with the same talents we've been given.
We imagine that we would like to do it, and we think, "I could do that. Why not me?"
And maybe we can.
But maybe we have not been made for it. Maybe we have been made for something different, the same talents used for a different purpose in the Kingdom of God.
We do not see all the prep work that God put into fitting them for the job they would one day have. They did not just walk into it, as an overnight success, even if we see it that way.
The family they were placed into, the time they put into honing their skills, the lessons they willingly learned, even the hard ones, all impacted the outcome.
We do not see the late nights and early mornings working on the gifts that God gave them, finding ways to incorporate them into their daily life.
We do not see the sacrifice, the time they would rather have been just home relaxing. We only see the success, the acknowledgement of a job well done, the accolades.
But none of that is easy, no matter how gifted a person is. There are always hard choices. And not everyone is made to shine in a spotlight. Some people would wilt there. Most people would.
There are those that are made to shine brighter, to encourage us who are struggling along, but humming their tune while doing so.
They write books and the scripts that move our hearts and tell our story, that we could not tell. The actors try to convey the intent of the part they have been given.
Together they weave the tale and we are drawn in. For a while we escape to another time or place. We did not create it, but we can feel a part of it.
Pastors and orators do the research so we have the answers to questions we may not have even thought to ask. Their voices ring out, drawing us to the throne of God.
These professionals are not satisfied with just being good enough. They want to get better and make an even greater impact. They strive to excell and to bring us with them in the experience.
It is more difficult for successful Christians to remain grounded, to not lose focus on the message. There are many hardships behind the ability to smile and keep going, because they work for a higher calling and are called to greater scrutiny.
All of that is a part of what we don't see, behind the glamor. Don't envy it. Pray for them. They need it!
Stay strong! Your purpose many not be flashy but it is still to live a righteous life, seeking to do the will of God.
NAN
