"I Like Your Shine!"

I’m still thinking about the conversation I had with my brother Junior about Covert Christians as I push my cart through HEB.

The store isn’t crowded, but there are enough people around to notice what they’re wearing and how they’re interacting with others. I find myself quietly looking for overt Christians.

I spot a retiree wearing a white Callaway golf cap—confident, seasoned, probably spending more time on the fairway than in the rough. He carries himself like a pro. No eye contact. No smile.

Then there’s a young woman in her early thirties, dressed for success, talking on her cell phone as she brushes past people like abandoned shopping carts. Her posture seems to say, “I have no use for you unless you’re a prospective client.” Harsh thoughts, perhaps—but what we project often reveals who we are, or at least who we hope to be.

Another man, maybe in his fifties, stands in the cold and flu aisle staring intently at a list. I don’t know if he’s on a mission from God, but he’s probably on a mission from his wife.

I look down at my own list—also from my wife—and notice I’m wearing my gray John 3:16 sweatshirt.

How am I being perceived?

I hope people see both a smile and God’s reminder printed across my chest. But I wonder—have my intentions been misread? I ask the Holy Spirit that question.

Just then, a man about my age catches my eye, smiles, and says,
“I like your shine! Good shirt.”

That moment of reassurance stays with me.

It convinces me that shining the light of Christ doesn’t require much—just a smile and love for others. But it also seems that the smile needs to be paired with something overtly Christian. It might be a sweatshirt with Scripture, a Jesus Loves You cap, a visible cross, a gospel tract, or simply a conversation centered on Christ.

The Holy Spirit sees it all.

I’ll try not to disappoint Him.

And to those of you who are overt Christians—
I like your shine.

_______

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14–16 (NKJV)