Shiny or Shady?

Shiny or shady?  

I know...it's a strange question to ask, but I just couldn't help myself.  You see, there's a passage in Philippians 2:14-15 that's been intriguing me lately.  I even printed it out and taped it to my kitchen window.  One of the main reasons is that I struggle with these verses, so I need the reminder.  Here, I'll let you read them for yourself:  Do all things without grumbling or arguing so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.  

Other translations render the phrase "appear as lights in the world," to say that we "shine like stars in the universe." How cool that is.  You know, to shine like a star for Jesus...unless, well...we aren't so shiny.  How does that happen?  How do we as Believers lose our effectiveness - our "shininess" - to those in the world around us?   

It's sadly, very simple: we grumble and argue.

Now, I don't have trouble arguing with people, for the most part. However, grumbling (or complaining, as other translations state), is definitely high on my "fix it" list.  I can complain with the best of them.  "This is bad, and that is bad."  "This can't get any worse, and that has to BE the worst."  "How could that happen, and why didn't it happen earlier?"    

See what I mean?  I can take a perfectly beautiful day and turn it into a miserable one for anyone in the hearing distance of my voice. Hence, Philippians 2:14-15 taped to my kitchen window - eye level - on a bright neon index card.  

I think if I - if we - truly understood the detriment our complaining does to the cause of Christ, we'd stop.  I think if we knew that by murmuring against another brother or sister in Christ, we actually hinder the Spirit's work (grieving the Spirit) within us and around us, we'd stop.  I think if we stood outside tonight, gazed up at the stars and picked out the dimmest one, realizing that we are THAT star to the rest of the world, we'd stop.  

So, let's stop...and then, start.  Let's stop complaining about our service at restaurants and start taking it as an opportunity to look like the servants of Christ we say we are.  Let's stop complaining about our bosses and our jobs and start being thankful that we have both.  Let's stop complaining about our spouses and our children not fulfilling our expectations and start serving them and loving them as Christ has served and loved us.  Let's stop our light from fading, and start polishing up our pointy little arms, so we can shine like the stars He created us to be...for His glory.  

Oh, Jesus, I really want to show people an accurate representation of Who You are here on this earth.  I want to shine for You, so that they can see who You really are...not the shady version...but the shiny one.  Thank You, Jesus.  Thank You.