Real Life That SHINES! #Shine series

Women  wear  many  diverse  hats  and  function  in  as  many  assorted  roles.    We  are  wives,  mothers, daughters, sisters, friends,  employers, employees  and  much, much  more.   Each  role  comes  complete with job descriptions uniquely crafted to outline the myriad tasks required for each position.  And while there  may  be  some  overlaps  in  the  duties  and  responsibilities,  each  is  distinct  and  often  demands flawless  execution.  We  are  expected  to  SHINE.        You  know,  light  up  the  space,  brighten  up  the environment, expose the mess and clean it up.  That’s right, SHINE.

Maybe you never stopped to think about that way.   So, let’s take a moment and do just that.  Matthew 5:14 -16 admonishes us to shine.  It states,

“You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill.  No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house.  In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

You see, we often list our roles and among them include the fact that we are children of God; however, we are first children of God and our roles are executed from and through that position, and listed among the duties and responsibilities for that job description is that we shine.

So, how  do  we  shine?”   Think in  terms  of  an acronym  –

 S-hare, 

H-onor, 

I-nfluence,  

N-avigate,  and  

E- nergize. 

As Christian women we share who and whose we are.  One of the greatest gifts we can give is ourselves.  We enrich all of our relationships, and the people we relate with every day come to us, love us, and trust us because we bring light to their world.   We also shine when we share about whose we are.  It is God’s light, illuminating in and through us that attracts others.  We share and shed our light by walking as living epistles of the Word of God and extending our reach and the reach of the Kingdom of God.

Honor.   You cannot truly honor someone without placing them above yourself.   When we honor and prefer others needs above our  own, and  boy do  we do that as women, we shine.  

Influence.   As women, we influence so many people and  situations.   We bring our God given intuition and wisdom, into the many decisions we must make for our families, friends, and businesses, and when we do that, boy do we shine.   

Navigate.   Getting one’s self through life is no easy task. Add to the trip a husband, children, and others, and it could become quite a load.   That is why the right navigational system, the Holy Spirit, operating through us is essential.  He creates light that illuminates our pathways as we direct our families. Thus, we shine.  

Energize.  Light by nature causes everything it touches to feel warmth. It is also a force that allows vegetation to create self-sustaining energy.   That is what we are capable of as godly women.  If we infuse the warmth and energy God has given us to fuel those around us, we impact our households, businesses, communities, and the kingdom.  In essence, we Shine!

Carleen interviewing Steven Arterburn for WATC

CARLEEN BROWN’s professional experience is an ideal marriage of her passion for media and education. Carleen brings over ten years of experience in each respective field and her diverse background uniquely positions her to excel in these arenas.  Carleen began her career in television at KOTV-6, the CBS affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she co-produced the state’s only three-hour morning news program.   She transitioned from the newsroom to the classroom and began her teaching career in Atlanta teaching middle and high school students and serving as Vice Principal of a private school in Decatur.  Carleen found the ideal opportunity to merge her passions - education and media - at Clark Atlanta University where she managed CAU-TV,  an educational  access station for the City of Atlanta.  There taught media courses and ensured that hands-on training opportunities were provided to more than 500 mass media majors in the Division. 

In addition, Carleen served as executive producer and hostess of the Station’s first Emmy-award winning, public affairs show,  ATL Insider – a program produced by students in partnership with Atlanta’s WB and WXIA-TV.   Currently, Carleen is a regular host on WATC-TV 57’s Atlanta Live and a media and education consultant conducting workshops and seminars in areas schools.