It is our light that most frightens us...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

This quote is often attributed to Nelson Mandela, but some of my internet research suggests that it is actually taken from a book written by a Marianne Williamson. Either way, I think there's a lot of truth in what this quote says.

A couple of years ago I was sat in church listening to the start of the sermon and as the passage was read out, one verse stood out to me:

1 Samuel 15:17
Samuel said, "Once you didn't think much of yourself, but now you have become the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord appointed you to be king over Israel.

Saul was coming up with excuses for his failure to do what God had told him to do - his failure to shine. Samuel basically tells him, "It doesn't matter what you think of yourself. God made you king. When you say you can't do that - you're saying God has got it wrong."

We often try to make ourselves so little, but God created us for greatness. Yes, we are in submission to Him, and are to live in humility towards others, but humility, insecurity, false modesty and laziness are all very different things. God didn't call us for greatness just as a nice thing to say - He called us for greatness because He created us for it! Enjoy who you are, enjoy your abilities and make the most out of them. What you think of yourself really doesn't matter when God's saying He's going to make you more.