L.I.G.H.T.

(c) Staci Stallings, 2005

One of my Holy Spirit friends is teaching Sunday School to 7th grade girls this year. When she first started, my friend was a little lost as to what to teach and what other resources were available, so she innocently asked me if I could help. Little did either of us know where that one simple email would lead.

First, it was just figuring out what song she could use as an opener and then as a closer. I'm a music fanatic, so that wasn't too taxing. Then as the year progressed, we began working through what it means when things don't work out the way you thought they should. We discussed lessons-she is the consummate "activity guru," and I added in insights I've gleaned from my writing ministry. Together, we made a pretty good team.

Just after Christmas she came over to discuss her newest lesson. She had decided to do a lesson on the light of Christ coming into our world at Christmas. She had already gotten candles to use and everything. We worked out the activity-turning off the lights to start in darkness and then explaining with a single flame that Jesus came into our world and brought light. He gave His light to the early Christians, who passed it down through the generations to us, and now we have the opportunity to give His light to others.

The idea was that the first girl's candle would be lit from the Jesus candle, and then each girl would light the next girl's candle until all the candles were lit. We thought it was a pretty good plan-and then she got to class and had two girls instead of 14. She didn't do the light ceremony but did do the other activities she had planned to go with it.

When we talked again, she still wanted to do the light ceremony, but now she needed new activities. She told me that she was thinking about letting the girls take the word LIGHT and see what acronyms they could come up with. I agreed that it sounded like a good plan.

Then the Holy Spirit stepped in. Being a word freak and having some time on my hands as I drove to school to get my children, I started asking, "What would LIGHT stand for to me?"

I came up with some good ones: Love In God's Heart Today. Live In God's Hope Today. Then as I got closer to home, I looked down and noticed a fortune from a cookie we had gotten over the weekend lying on the seat next to me. I picked it up and read it. The word "Luck" jumped out at me because the book I am currently working on is called "Lucky."

Because I had been looking for "L" words, I immediately thought, "Hmm... Luck... How would that work in the word LIGHT?" Then a thought went through my head. "Luck Is God's Help." Instantly I got excited, but then I realized there was not "T" word. So I said, "Okay, Holy Spirit but what does the T stand for?" Instantly the answer came... "Luck Is God's Help... Trusted."

You might think I came up with that. I didn't. It's too perfect. It's too Holy Spirit!

The cool thing is that for years-literally-people have told me that I was lucky. I always said, "Yeah, and I work darn hard to get that luck to work out." Up until the middle of last year, that was completely accurate in my life. I did work darn hard to be so "lucky." And it was work.

However, about the time my friend started teaching, I started putting things in the Holy Spirit's hands, and life has not been the same since. "Luck" has started literally pouring my direction. So much so, that when the title "Lucky" showed up for my new book, I knew it was perfect because the main theme is putting life in God's hands and how it works so much better when you do that.

Well, you can be sure that I couldn't wait to get home and call my friend. Thing is: She called me first with awesome news! (I love the way the Holy Spirit works!) Just before Christmas she had taken her teacher's certification test, and at the time she commented that it seemed that "everyone else is freaking out, but I'm
not worried. I know whatever happens, it's what God meant to happen."

Then today she calls to tell me that she had gotten her scores in... A 91! 73 out of 80 questions right! That,
for those of you who don't know, is a slam-dunk on a really challenging test!

Now some people might say she got lucky. But there's no doubt in my mind that she and I both know that "luck" came because she was living in the "light." Luck Is God's Help Trusted... It's such a cool way to live!

~*~*~
Visit http://www.stacistallings.com/Previews.htm to read the newest chapters of Staci's books! You'll feel better for the experience!