Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1 (NKJV)
Arise, shine! Two words! Not conveyed as a suggestion, but a call from the Lord! Your light has come! It is time for you to shine. The glory of the Lord has risen upon you, and you likewise should arise. Do you feel a sense of restraint or rational caution? Then, you need to muster up your will to break through! To arise is not just to wake up or stand up; it is to move upward, to come into prominence and be alive! In shinning, you exude God's glory, excelling in the endeavours and gifts you have been endowed with. You become who you are meant to be! You fulfil your destiny. Believe it, confess it, step out in faith and soar above those limitations.
The damning situations around should not distract you; for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). Walk as a child of light! Do not believe anyone who says it is too late, your past would continually haunt, or that you are too old. Many are held back by stereotypical expectations others have placed on them – E.g., people of a certain race can only act or think in a certain way, persons in a social class cannot aspire to greater things, or scientific pronouncements are the ultimate. But God looks beyond these man-made conceptions.
Beloved, the Lord's glory has risen; your light has come! Let the Lord rejoice over you and take pleasure in the things that concern you. The time to act is now. Take your place. Arise, shine and give God the glory. Praise the Lord!