2-28-21 Disco It Up

Quote: “A disco ball is hundreds of pieces of broken glass put together to make a magical ball of light.  You aren’t broken.  You are a disco ball.”

There is something you should know about me.  I like to dance.

I have a group of friends that have been out dancing with me for many years and they can attest, not only do I like to dance, but I like to say “I like to dance!” as I’m dancing, as if I am telling them bran new information!  And I’m not saying I can dance.  I’m just saying that I like to dance! LOL  I am a certified Zumba instructor and I’m pretty sure the only reason they certified me is because I have a lot of energy and I like to shake it.  The years I had time to teach Zumba classes were my absolute favorite!  I love the feeling of moving to great music.

When I saw this quote, I knew I would never look at a disco ball the same again.  I was immediately transformed to elementary school when we used to go roller skating and there was a large disco ball in the center of the rink.  When those lights went down and the music started – whoo eeee!  I lit that rink up.  The blisters were worth it!

I guarantee most of us have not looked at a disco ball up close.  All we see is the beautiful light and colors that can instantly transform and light up a darkened room.  It is absolutely stunning!  I have never looked at a disco ball and thought what a bummer that it is made up of broken pieces of glass.  We don’t see the broken pieces.  We just see the result of broken pieces coming together to create a beautiful room of light.

I challenge you to look at yourself and others as a disco ball, rather than a hot mess of broken pieces and mistakes and regret and bad choices.  You are not the sum of your mistakes.  What you are is an amazing human being, one who is trying their best to figure out this crazy thing called life.  There was no manual when you were born, just like their is no one-size-fits-all book for the children God has given us.  We are all a little bit broken.  But we are all trying to become the best version of ourselves.

Instead of looking at your mistakes and bad choices, try focusing on what you’ve got going really well.  Are you doing things to make yourself healthy?  Are you making time for self care?  Are you getting help or connecting with others to fill in the gaps where you are not doing so well?  That’s what life is about!  Telling others how incredible their disco ball is rather than pointing out all the edges of their broken disco ball pieces.  You’ve got to surround yourself with people who are helping your light shine brighter!

I want people to see my light.  I don’t want others to focus on my faults.  And I’m sure you feel the same way.  We should encourage the people in our life to shine bright.  Something crazy happens when we do this.  We start to see more and more positive things in the world, rather than the negative.  We don’t compare our light to others because we are so focused on pumping up others and telling them how bright their light looks.

Jesus talks a lot about light in the Bible.  In Matthew 5:14-16, he is telling a story about light.  He says, “You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.”  My paraphrase of these verses is this: don’t keep that disco box in a box.  Hang that thing up on the ceiling, crank up the music, and let that thing spin.  Shine like you were meant to shine!

The best part is people will start to ask you where you get your light from.  What’s your light source?  That’s when you can spill your secret.  That it’s not actually you or anything special that you are doing to shine.  That it’s the Spirit of Jesus shining out of you, out of your pores.  You can share that there is no way your failures and faults could cause light, but because Jesus trumps those yucky areas, what they are really seeing is him.  That you are just as broken as they are and that you must daily ask for the strength to get up and try it again even better the next day.  Beautifully broken.

Shine on, you little disco ball.