My husband’s cousin is married to a jeweler, which has led to a few happy purchases on my behalf. Najib has made some beautiful pieces for Scott to give me on anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas—all a great price, I might add! Each time I receive earrings or a ring, Najib gives me careful instructions about keeping them clean.
I treasure each piece, and while I try to take good care of them, I admit that I don’t keep them as clean as they require. After an especially good polishing, I’m careful for awhile. I remove the rings before doing dishes or washing my hands, but then I start to forget, and a small but steady accumulation of soap and hand lotion starts collecting on the jewelry. The pieces are still beautiful, but they lose that special sparkle under the layer of gunk.
Aren’t our lives a lot like that? We begin as these beautiful, unique creations of God and as we get on in years, we make efforts to keep our lives from the stain of various sins. Then we get a little lazy here and a little lazy there and before you know it, we’ve lost our sparkle. Instead of being a shining beacon for Christ, we’re more like a flashlight whose batteries are growing dim.
At Thanksgiving, Najib inspected my rings and eyed me critically when I couldn’t honestly tell him that I’ve kept them as clean as he advises. I have until Christmas to do something about it! Maybe this season of Advent, I’ll also ask God to show me what might be gunking up my life so I can shine more brightly too.
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