THE LIGHT OF A CHRISTIAN

Yesterday I was in baseball chapel at the Cardinals' Spring Training facility in Jupiter, Florida. I made many new friends again this trip; one of my closest ones is former catching star Mike Matheny. Besides being one of our coaches, he was the chapel speaker.

We were sitting in an open air picnic area with a roof above at 7:00 a.m. The weather was fascinatingly warm and still. Maybe forty gathered for this chapel service. As Mike spoke about relevant spiritual matters something began to evolve but could be seen only from the seat I was in. Mike was clueless. It was 7:00 a.m. and the sun was rising directly (I mean squarely) behind Mike's head. As he first spoke I could hear him but could not see his face. His head was nothing but a shadow.

As time passed the sun rose just a bit which left Mike's face still shadowed; yet now streams of brilliant light flowed from the top of his head and down over the center of his body. These beams danced as if they were bright neon strings atop metered frets on a guitar tied at the top like a necktie. As they moved downward over his body, the beams widened. I could hear him, but could not see him for the brilliance overtaking him.

The scene appeared as a painting one would see in a Christian book store or possibly imagined in Revelations. Mike continued to speak with no awareness of the scene unfolding in front of my eyes.

When all was over I shared with him what I had just experienced:

• God is always doing with us beautiful things when we are completely unaware. Mike had no idea of the scene appearing before me.
• God does more with our efforts than we will ever calculate.
• We carry a message from God and it goes so much better when we are out of the picture so the hearers can think of Him.
• We carry such a strong light. We must believe it is true even when we cannot imagine how brightly He is shining. Over us is the beauty of the Spirit Light. We must be encouraged of His radiance descending from our presence. Others can see it; but we can't.

The message was equally good. Yet, the scene was one so amazing it could not have been planned by man's orchestration. So keep pedaling in God's kingdom, my friend. He is doing more with and through you than you would ever guess! Keep the whole world shining!