I sit here watching Whitney Houston on Oprah and my greatest shock is that she is older. Funny how we are, when we haven’t seen someone for some years. As if we don’t expect that person to grow up like we have.

I see a beauty in her. Do any of you know what it is?

She was an idol to so many of us around the world. American young people probably don’t know how we admired her all the way over in Nigeria, and how she made my afro I had to have, after a perm went bad, O.K. How validated we felt by having Whitney on the cover of magazines. She was younger than me, but close enough for this model wannabe teenager to live vicariously through her.

As I watched Whitney the thought came: We’re scared of our own light. That light is really part of the Lord God Most High. The light of the Lord in us and just like people could not look directly at Moses’ face when he came down from the mountain, so as we go through horrors and have time with God we are scared to look at ourselves. For that short time we’ve spent with Him and the little cleaning up that has taken place, causes a bright light to shine through the cracks.

Some of us may have noticed that Whitney isn’t finished being cleaned up. I cried like many of us who have prayed for her and are seeing the Hand of God do what we asked. That she might not go the way of other drug addicts. But we hear with the wise ears of 50+ years God has given us, that this chil’ ain’t there yet. And still we see The Light shining through her cracks. The same is shining through all of us.
Praise Him!

You are the Light of the World

12/11/08

We’re walking around with the Light in us you know. A merchant I deal with was ringing me up at the cash register some years ago. I wasn’t talking about Christ or thinking particularly spiritual thoughts at the time, but she looked up at me and said, “There’s a light in you.” I said “Praise God” and went on. But it makes sense you know, based on what Jesus said. “You are the Light of the world” (Matt 5:14). We are walking around with the Light in us and this is a light the world needs.