Glow | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Glow | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sherrie Coronas
05/26/09
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Surprised to see that it was nearly two o’clock, Joyce forced herself to draw the conversation to a close. The meeting should have ended long ago and yet she felt she could have continued for hours. Feeling instantly aligned and at ease with this person was a complete surprise and a refreshing moment in her otherwise trying day.

Was it the pleasant expression on his face, the calm tone of his voice, or his positive disposition that made him feel like an old friend? Joyce wasn’t sure but she soaked it up and allowed it to refuel her soul, for she knew others would have the opposite effect on her that day. As she shook his hand and bid him farewell, she decided that this new acquaintance probably had “it.”

A few minutes later Joyce was in the hallway waiting for an elevator that she prayed would deliver her to the next meeting on time. As she made her way to the boardroom, her steps slowed and her mind raced. This would not be pleasant and she knew it. As always, Joyce was prepared to inject as much hope as she could into the situation but months of declining sales would have the group in a foul mood before the meeting even started. She would do her best but Joyce was still learning how to give “it” away.

She took her place at the conference table along with a dozen others scheduled to present results during the quarterly review. It wasn’t long before voices were rising and fingers were pointing but with Elizabeth it was different. While the rest of the group bickered, this humble director patiently listened to each person’s position and spoke kindly even to those who openly criticized the work of her division. Elizabeth never sacrificed others for any reason whatsoever. She would not take part in this ugly battle. Joyce marveled at her steadfast character and knew that Elizabeth had “it.”

The sun was no where to be found when Joyce finally emerged from her busy Manhattan office building and navigated her way down Madison Avenue. Waiting for her train to arrive, she couldn’t help but wonder how many others in the busy subway station had “it” – a.k.a. the glow. Looking for the special glow had become a fixation for Joyce recently. Discovering someone with the glow was exhilarating. How she wished she could surround herself with glowing people.

As her eyes scanned the station, she knew that her attempt to identify the glow from a distance was risky, as the glow came from deep, deep within a person. Sometimes it could be inadvertently hidden by tired eyes or an injured heart. Sometimes it was temporarily smothered by a reckless word or an unfortunate circumstance. Sometimes it was as bright as a lighthouse, while at other times it was just a faint flicker on the horizon. Sometimes Joyce was stunned by where she found it and where she did not.

Before going to sleep that night, Joyce opened her Bible and began reading where she left off the night before. These scriptures, she learned, were the source of the glow in so many she had come to admire.

She finished reading, said a prayer, and turned off the lights. She allowed the pitch black of the night to ease into shades of gray and then looked at the outline of her body through the darkness. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, yet deep down inside she knew that God had just made another generous deposit of radiance into her heart. Tomorrow, Joyce planned to share it.

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