Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Did you watch the gymnastics competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics? I am an admirer of Simone Biles, the great American gymnast. I admire her work ethic and her passion for her sport. Simone addressed every obstacle and challenge imaginable, including sexual abuse and her mental health, on her way to excellence. She has earned the acronym G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) for a reason. She is top-notch at her sport and is currently the most decorated American Olympic gymnast in the world. Simone achieved her level of masterful execution through raw talent, hard work, determination, and discipline. To watch Simone perform her art is to view poetry in motion. She is, to put it simply, unbelievably riveting.
Few of us, if any, are going to be flipping and twirling on balance beams any time soon, but watching Simone got me wondering, what if all believers could put that much effort and dedication into their calling every day? What if we could lean into our calling (whatever that might be) in such a way as to achieve G.O.A.T. status at what we do? For instance, not just show up but do so with unmistakable passion, dedication, and discipline, not for a medal which will fade, but to the glory of God? The Bible exhorts us to let our “light so shine before men, that by seeing our good works, they may glorify our Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Well, here is the good news! We CAN achieve G.O.A.T. status because as Paul reminds the Ephesian church, “…we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). With this divine head start, and under the Spirit’s guidance, each one of us must decide just how bright we want our light to shine. Simone’s achievements may be difficult to emulate, but we can look to Jesus who served God with selfless love and obedience, even unto death. He was passionate about getting rid of those obstacles that stood in the way of forming faith in the people he served. For instance, he displayed righteous anger when he found out that the money changers and merchants had converted the temple courts from a den of prayer to a den of thieves. Those vendors did not belong there, and it was time for them to go (Matthew 21: 12-13).
So, what habits within us need to go, to get us on our way to G.O.A.T. status in the different roles that God has called us to (spouses, parents, workers, friends, colleagues and so forth)? According to Matthew 5:16, the world is watching our works. What do they see?
Sometimes I am convinced that it is not Jesus they reject, but rather they reject our representation of him. Let us think about that as we show up on life’s stage this week.