One of my favorite things I bought in Italy is a Venetian glass necklace. Venice is known for their blown glass, and one of the places we went was a glass blowing company. It’s a small, teardrop shaped piece of glass that reflects light in yellows, blues, purples, and oranges.
Venice was the first city we went to on the trip, and I wore the necklace from that first day on. Even when I got back home I barely took it off for months.
Because of this, the chain slowly became tarnished and I wore the necklace less and less.
Eventually, I got around to replacing the chain. One morning, I found a plain silver one in my closet and slipped the glass off the old chain and onto the new.
When I stepped into the bathroom to start getting ready for the day, I gasped as I looked into the mirror. The necklace shone so much brighter than I had remembered. The clean, silver chain allowed the glass to sparkle as bright as the first day I had bought it in Italy. I had nearly forgotten what it originally looked like.
Over the past few weeks, John 15:5 keeps coming up, where Jesus says “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
The necklace reminded me of this verse. Beside a chain that was tarnished and dirty, the glass seemed dull. But on a chain that was sparkling and new, its true beauty became visible.
With Jesus, we shine brighter. His light reflects off of us and makes a tangible difference in how we move through the world, how others see us.
A friend noticed my necklace after I put on the new chain and asked where I got it. I told her it was the one from Italy. “Oh, I thought that was a different one.” She hadn’t recognized it even though I had shown it to her when I got back home, I’d worn it numerous times around her. I knew then it wasn’t just me, it truly looked different on the new chain.
When we are connected to Jesus, we look different. We feel different. We become unrecognizable.
Are you connected to Jesus in a way that makes you shine brighter? Do people look at you and see His light in you?
If you think the answer is no, it is never too late to connect to Him. In this very moment He is just waiting on your ‘yes’ to transform you into someone that shines.
Always,
Emily
Always Emily 