A Good Shine

Recently a sales clerk commented how pretty my blue topaz ring was, yet when I looked at it I was appalled at how dirty it was!  There was no sparkle or shine, only the slightest notion the stone should have been a crystal clear powder blue. The first thing I did when I got home was clean it up!

What causes us to be ungrateful?  It’s often a selfish attitude, which is caused by an unwillingness to serve.  How often do you find yourself grumbling about having to do this, having to do that?  I'm ashamed to say my middle name could be "grumble" when I find my focus more on me, myself, and I rather than Jesus and others.  Grateful living, however, is the result of a heart clean before and right with God.  Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."  This should be our first request of God each day: a cleaned and renewed heart to reflect God's Light at Its best -- it's the secret to a truly good shine!