Saturday, June 12, 2010

Take advice from a Silly Band!


They are all the rage, all different sizes, colors, shapes, characters-the list goes on, you know what I am talking about-Silly Bandz! I am amazed at how many children, teens and adults have Silly Bandz on as part of their daily attire. They even sell necklaces, so that you can wear all of your silly bandz at once. (These must be for the people that have already covered their arms and ankles?)

Some of you may know that I go into schools throughout Hillsborough County to teach students about "love and relationships." Being that I get to spend a whole week with the students, I end up developing friendships with them and then furthermore make it an “official friendship” by accepting them on Facebook-HAHA! So I guess this is where my intro to the “silly band” occurred–in “sex-ed class,” as they call it. I started noticing that everyone had similar bracelets. So ironically, in exchange for me teaching them about STD’s, they gave me “silly bandz.”

Before I knew it, I was “legit.” All I have to do now is walk into a class with my "silly bandz,” and I will hear a student say: “look she has silly bandz!” AND I'M IN, just like that! If I would have known that that was all it took for me to be cool in school I would have invented them years ago-for my high school experience-LOL!

Each band reminds me of a different student and the many ways that they contributed to that particular class. As time goes on I have realized that I am kind of sentimental with the little plastic animals! I even wear the things to bed from time to time.

On one of these occasions, I happened to place my hand near my pillow to fall asleep. At the time I was unaware that they glow in the dark-I freaked out! I turned on a light as fast as I could to try and figure out why there was light coming from my arm. I quickly discovered that it was coming from my “canoe” bracelet.

It was not the first time in my life that I had had something glow in the dark, but for some reason this time, I wanted to know how it was able to glow…so I looked it up and this is what I found:

“The most common way of making an object glow in the dark is to use chemicals called phosphors to produce light. These kind of glow-in-the-dark objects need to be exposed to light, or charged, in order to glow. The light energizes the phosphors and excites their electrons. As the electrons lose this extra energy, they release it as a light of their own” –www.ASK.com

Isn’t funny how God used this explanation to reveal a parable to me?

I too am like a silly band covered in a “phosphor” called “grace” and when I am exposed to the “light” (Jesus) I am charged. “The light” (Jesus) energizes me, and even though there will be dark moments in my life filled with opposition, I am not afraid. I know that the electrons (enemy/a negative electric charge), will eventually loose their extra energy-and I will be able to release “The light” that I have been given.

Have you ever heard the saying “ Don’t forget in the dark what you have learned in the light?” It means that just because life gets dark and you may feel disoriented, don’t forget to take a second to remember what you have been taught. The Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Life can be hard and very grim at times, so it important for us to be prepared for these moments by exposing ourselves to “the Light” (His word/presence) as much as possible. So that out of our hearts we can shine in the darkness!

Philippians 2:14-16
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you SHINE LIKE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

So if a "glow in the dark silly band" remembers what it has learned in THE LIGHT while in the dark, will you?

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