When I got back from camp, there was such a light inside of me. Everywhere I looked, there was God. He made the beautiful desert canyon, the smiles on people's faces, and the hilariously ironic moments of my life. Above all else, I learned and grew in the idea that God has a sense of humor. So much so that it would cause me to laugh throughout the day at the little things that He would do to put a smile on my face. It almost felt like a really happy dating relationship, without that getting too weird of a concept ;)
But that's the thing about coming back from camps or conferences that focus on your relationship with God. Your heart is soaked in His message and your mind is zoned in on focusing on being more Christ-like. While at camp, I had the opportunity to relish in prayer and conversation with Him. He spoke to me through prayer and the dialogue we had was amazing. It was refreshing and wonderful. My friend, and fellow YL leader, Rhonda spoke about how she sees God in everything. From the beauty of nature, to smiles, to babies, to everything good in life. That mentality and the goodness of that week was so enriching for my soul.
That would carry on into the weeks being back at home. I noticed God everywhere. He was the words of encouragement in one of my missiles instructor, the convenience of a neighbor offering to loan us long tables and tons of chairs for a block party, and in people voluntarily being so good and kind-hearted. All I kept thinking of was that God is so good.
Then God spoke to me about this innate goodness in others and saying that people are good and they want to be the best that they can be and to share that with others. That idea had me looking through scripture when I came across Matthew 5:16.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
How amazing is that?
I started seeking that goodness throughout my everyday. I sought out someone who was letting his or her light shine before others and doing good deeds. It was like a light switch. All of a sudden I would realize that that person was my Matthew 5:16 for the day. It started to become a fun game. I really enjoyed seeking out the good in others and being enveloped in the warmth that comes along with genuine love and sincerity.
Then I thought, I should write this down. I came up with The Matthew 5:16 Project. It's not a national campaign, just me recording the good that I see in my life. I went to Vistaprint and made "free" business cards, I just had to pay for shipping and handling. I was able to double my order towards the end for only a few dollars more. I have 500 cards that I can keep or pass out. My plan is to write, record, and remember the good that there is in the world. For every Matthew 5:16 person I find, I can write it down. I can give them the card to thank them for spreading goodness in the world or I can keep it to remember it by.
So why do I even do this?
Because I don't think goodness is celebrated enough in this world. As I scroll through my social media newsfeed, I see a politician lusting after a really young girl, a boy who sexually assaulted a girl and shared it with the social media world, people creating hashtags to humiliate others, and essentially a lot of bad.
We can't live off of the bad. It sucks out so much energy from your spirit and it is dangerous and toxic. It turns the best of people into the worst.
People are innately good and that should be celebrated and society needs to be reminded.
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