Shine: Stepping Into The Role You Were Made ForSample

Allison Allen: Shine, Stepping into the Role You Were Made For Devotional Day 2

Shine Like the Stars

Scripture: Philippians 2:14-15

Whether or not you ever stand on a theatrical stage, you have been invited to play a key role in Jesus’s narrative. You’ve been given a place to shine, a place of influence. A stage on which to stand, and a light to find. 

I’m not talking about one-woman showcases for pride or position. I’m not talking about a well-lit place for our ego to get its strokes. I’m certainly not talking theatrical razzle-dazzle where we spackle over every imperfection, sing and dance our hearts out, and pray that the applause will make the exhausting performance worth it. Stages where we live our lives to be noticed by others or where we plaster on a brave face are tempting, but they will never produce the kind of kingdom adventures our hearts long for. 

I’m talking about God-stages—made from passion and built on purpose. God-stages are those places where Jesus has called us to bravely enter into the story he is telling and to inhabit our roles fully. They are places where he calls us to be willing to be known as we are.

A God-stage is where we can drop the brave act and pick up authentic bravery—born of Jesus himself. It’s a place of faith where we reengage with Jesus after years of sidelining ourselves, fear loosening its chokehold on our hearts as we do. A God-stage is where we reclaim the joy of stepping into the story God has called us to, not longing for somebody else’s. A God-stage is the place where we can risk it all, going “all in,” because if eternity is as real as we proclaim, why wouldn’t we? 

If we dare to take the stage, the walls around our hearts will start quaking. What has long been asleep will wake. Marooned dreams will raise the sail again. And some form of these brave words will find their way out of our mouths: “This is eternally important. It’s worth my time. This story is beyond bigger than me, but I am called to play a role in it. By grace, God has ushered me to this stage, to shine in his light, and I’m going to do so until he tells me it’s time to leave the scene.” 

What hints have you had in your life lately that God is calling you to take the stage and shine in his light?