Emily scanned
the room, analyzing every person. Her gaze came to rest on a young man who sat
in chair with crutches nearby; pain and concentration etched on his face as he
lifted a ten pound weight.
“I wonder what
he did.”
As if sensing
her stare, he raised his head and their eyes met. She smiled and he smiled back
briefly before continuing his exercise, but not before Emily noticed the bright
light in his eyes.
“I wonder if
he is a Christian.”
A nurse bringing
out new bandages interrupted her ponderings. “I need to wrap your wrist,” she
said. Inwardly, Emily groaned. “How much longer do I have to wear this bulky
thing?” Emily asked glancing with disdain at her scarred wrist.
With a
sympathetic look, the nurse answered, “Another two weeks and then you will
likely be fitted for a brace; that accident really did a number on your wrist
and we need to give it time to heal properly. I know it feels like forever,
especially as young as you are.”
Emily nodded
as her attention was again drawn to the young man who was now bouncing a ball
against a wall nearby. She flinched as the tightening of the bandage brought
her back to reality.
“That should
be tight enough,” the nurse said cheerfully as she secured the bandage with a
couple of pieces of medical tape. “Now we can have you work on some muscle
building in your arm. That way, when your cast does come off, you’ll be
stronger.”
She showed
Emily how to pull on a bungee cord attached to a wall while sitting in a chair near
the young man Emily had been observing earlier.
Emily did as
the nurse had demonstrated and was told to do fifty more repetitions. By
fifteen reps, she was already wishing the exercise was over, and by twenty-five,
she was breathing hard and sweating. The nurse told her to take a break and
then go back to it.
As Emily
slumped back into the chair and rubbed her sore arm, she felt someone watching
her. She turned to see the young man sitting in a chair, also resting between
repetitions.
Their eyes met. Emily was again struck by the light in his eyes. They starred at each other
until Emily blurted out, "You’re a Christian, aren’t you?”
Her face
turned beet red as she realized what she had just said. She was stuttering an
apology when she noticed the easy smile spreading across his face.
“Yes, I am; and
you are too.”
She nodded at
she looked at him in speechless silence. His easy smile remained as he said, “I
knew from the moment you walked in that you were a Christian because of the way
your eyes shone and how you carried yourself. You walked as though you knew
that you belonged to God and not the world.”
She gapped at
him for a minute and then a tumble of words came pouring out, “I knew you were
one too by the light in your eyes. You just seemed so peaceful and nice. I felt
like God was in the room.”
His smile
widened as he nodded. “Yes, Christ fills me with peace and it just reflects
from the inside out.”
She nodded as
she finally returned his smile.
They talked
for a few more minutes until the nurse came in and fussed at them for not doing
their exercises.
“This isn’t
socializing time,” she said with a hint of amusement.
The two
exchanged smiles as they returned to their respective exercises.
As Emily was
getting ready to leave, the man came over to her and said, “Keep being a light.
There are lots of people in this world that need hope and we know the Maker and
Definition of hope. We might as well
share the Source of it.”
Emily smiled
and nodded as she reached out to shake his hand. He surprised her by pulling
her into a hug. When he pulled back, he grinned. “We’re both part of the family
of God and where I come from, family give each other hugs!
She smiled. “Thank
you for showing me what letting our light shine means and thank you for sharing
what you see in me. You’ve been very encouraging.”
He gently took
her hand and looked her in the eye. “It was never me that you saw, but Christ
in me.”
She nodded as
she squeezed his hand and turned to make her way out the door.
“You
are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people
light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify
your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (New International Version)
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it
by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
James 3:13 (New International Version)
“Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright
lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” Philippians 2:15b (New
Living Translation)
