We live just a block away from my son's elementary school. One of my favorite things about living so close is getting to walk him to school on days when the weather is good. With that said, getting him to school is a pretty chaotic experience. For such a busy school the parking lot is small and crazy with buses coming and going, parents waiting in line to drop off and families walking in. All of this chaos is kept in control by one man. Bless his heart, he is out there rain or shine.. directing traffic going in all directions. He has a tough job, I know I wouldn't want it. I assume he has them job because he's reliable and good at what he does. Last year as the school year began this man, Mr. T., stood out in front of the school doing his thing. However, it was not such a pleasant thing to observe. It was common for him to be rolling his eyes, gesturing aggressively and frowning on a daily basis. I get it.. people don't pay attention, but it was obvious that this man hated his job. My husband often made remarks about his bad attitude and when being in his presence you just kept your head down and went on your way. You didn't want to be caught up in his wrath. This was the reality of Mr. T.  Fast forward to Fall 2014, another school year arrived and there is Mr. T out there doing his thing as predicted. However, this year is different. Mr. T isn't so grouchy. In fact he's very pleasant. He's smiling, happy, high fiving and hugging the kids that pass by. He waves with a smile when you drive by. It's the craziest thing.

I can't help but be curious about Mr. T. What is the cause of his transformation? It's obvious he's happier. We're a good month into school, surely if it was a front his true colors would be showing through by now. Yet, there he is each day smiling and happy. Something has changed on the inside and it's reflecting on the outside. He is shining. Now, I don't know what his transformation was, maybe I'll be brave enough to ask some day. But his change of behavior has me wondering.. "What does my behavior say about my heart?" If someone was to look at me from a distance would they see the grouchy, stressed, frowning Mr. T version of me or would they see the new and transformed happy version? Would they see me shining? It's so easy to get "in our heads".. you know, your so consumed in the here and now that you aren't aware of your behavior and how it's affecting those around you.  As a christian it is my goal to let my light shine, to reflect out into the world. But.. as many of you moms know, that's easier said than done. We have rough days and say and do things we shouldn't, especially when others are watching. I don't know about you, but I'm so thankful for God's grace. For each moment we have a fresh chance to get it right and to try again.

So, with that said... my question today is this... "What does your behavior say about your heart?" Are you stressed, grouchy, and frowning or are you smiling, positive and letting your light shine?  It truly is a choice that we each can make. Today I encourage you to make the choice to let your light shine. Be the person that brightens someone elses day. You never know who you can have a positive impact on today!