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Shine Your Bright Light

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When Happy Baby was born, he had a variety of mysterious health issues that landed us in the hospital for 97 days.

During that season, every day I would get in my car and drive 40 minutes to the hospital and then spend another 10 minutes walking from the parking garage to the NICU to see my baby.

My little walk always took me past the hospital gift shop.

One morning something caught my eye in the window of the shop.  It was a beautiful canvas painting of 3 small birds and across the top of the picture were the words –

Shine Your Bright Light.

At first, I grimaced inwardly at this message.  I was in NO MOOD to shine any kind of light.  I felt perpetually assaulted by darkness as our little boy received multiple death sentences from various doctors each week.

I was tired.  I was weary.  I found my heart – which used to be so full of love and joy for Christ – was heavy and often angry at God for allowing such a terrible thing into our lives.

So every time I walked by that shop, those words were a discouraging reminder of all that I had lost.

But do you know what eventually changed things for me?

The kindness of others.

Seriously.  Y’all would be BLOWN AWAY if I shared with you every single amazing thing that our friends and family and church community and even PEOPLE I DID NOT KNOW did for our family while we were in the hospital with Happy Baby.

Someone paid the Merry Maids to clean my house, cards filled up our mailbox daily, our refrigerator overflowed with food, people gave us money to cover medical bills, friends texted me Bible verses throughout the day, a few of my closest friends even fasted for us regularly, a dear friend from high school showed up at our doorstep with 20 boxes of diapers, and the entire church set up a prayer chain that had people praying at ALL hours of the day and night.

It was incredible.

And with each act of kindness, the darkness we were experiencing did not seem quite so… dark.

Somewhere along the way, God used all of these precious, obedient people to remind me of His faithfulness.

His kindness.

And His loving, good hand.

These people were shining their bright lights.

And as they lit up our situation, a spark was reignited in my own heart and my eyes were opened to opportunities that I had to do the same for the people in my own world.

I saw the other moms and dads in the NICU with babies far worse off than ours.  Those precious souls needed my prayers and support.

I saw nurses who needed encouragement (and chocolate chip zucchini muffins). 😉

I saw the Lord broaden my ministry as I encountered other moms who had children with special needs and I was able to understand their pain and struggle like never before.

When life does not go as we expect, it’s easy to resist what the Lord wants to do with us.  It’s easy to cross our arms or clench our fists at His assignments and instead of trust, we nurse wounds of disappointment and bitterness.

But when we surrender and accept from Him the good AND the bad, we will see how He carries us through it all.

We will see how Jesus, himself, chose to serve even in the most excruciating of circumstances.

Then we will become less preoccupied with our own pain and more filled with desire to lessen the pain of others.

That is what the kindness of others taught me.

About the time our baby was headed into surgery to get a feeding tube put in his stomach, I came home from the hospital and was greeted by Mr. B.  He instructed me to close my eyes while he led me across the house.

Then he told me to open my eyes.

Can you guess what was hanging on the wall in our living room?

The canvas art from the hospital gift shop.

🙂Shine Your Bright Light

Since then, I have felt called to help people find easy ways to shine their own bright lights.

Because one small act of kindness can change the course of someone’s day –

And maybe even their life.

That is why I wrote The Kindness Antennae.

This eBook is filled with never-before-shared stories, as well as hundreds of ideas to help you share kindness and light up your families and communities with His love.

Moms, daughters, grandmas, teachers… there is encouragement and inspiration for everyone in The Kindness Antennae.

I hope you will join me as we shine our bright lights in this world.

You can purchase your copy of The Kindness Antennae for only $9.99 by clicking HERE.

– Julie 🙂

“My God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28 (NIV)

Comforting in Crisis, Fairy Thoughts
Kindness, Random Acts of Kindness
2 Comments

About Happy Home Fairy

Julie Brasington is a Preschool Director, wife of a South Florida Worship Pastor and mom of 3 boys. She writes at Happy Home Fairy where you can find easy craft ideas, FREE printables, simple recipes, holiday fun, thoughts on raising kids, and encouragement for moms.

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Reader Interactions

2 Comments

  1. Leeanne

    January 25, 2016 at 11:24 pm

    This post made me tear up more than the video. 🙂 You have been a light in our home for several years and I am sooo excited to download your book! Congratulations and many blessings in return!

    to Leeanne" aria-label='reply to this comment to Leeanne'>reply to this comment
    • Happy Home Fairy

      January 25, 2016 at 11:48 pm

      Leeanne, this just made my day! Thank you for your sweet encouragement!!!

      to Happy Home Fairy" aria-label='reply to this comment to Happy Home Fairy'>reply to this comment

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Loving God Loving Others and Having Fun

Hey there! My name is Julie, the Happy Home Fairy. I am married to a Worship Pastor, we have 3 boys, and I am a Preschool Director. I love sharing easy, fun ideas to help moms build a happy home! Here you will find simple crafts, FREE Printables, yummy recipes, stories about my journey to trust Jesus with my family, and encouragement for your mama's heart. You can read more about me HERE!

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book-sidebarThe Kindness Antennae is my brand new eBook packed full of uplifting stories, fun ideas, printables, and truths to help you (and your kids!) live a life that makes a difference – one act of kindness at a time.

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  • Things I am grateful for today... ✨Baby Z laughing and chasing me around the house with a giant oven mitt on his hand. ✨Having a plan for dinners this week. ✨The book I can’t put down. ✨Chocolate peanut butter banana smoothies before bed. ✨A church that observes Lent and desires to honor God with this season. ✨Clean sheets. ✨A backyard covered in sports balls. ✨This cute top from @roolee! #roolee #rooleeambassador #yesroolee #modestfashion #gratitude
    by happyhomefairy 2 weeks ago
    Things I am grateful for today... ✨Baby Z laughing and chasing me around the house with a giant oven mitt on his hand. ✨Having a plan for dinners this week. ✨The book I can’t put down. ✨Chocolate peanut butter banana smoothies before bed. ✨A church that observes Lent and desires to honor God with this season. ✨Clean sheets. ✨A backyard covered in sports balls. ✨This cute top from  @roolee !  #roolee   #rooleeambassador   #yesroolee   #modestfashion   #gratitude 
  • I saw this fun idea by my friend @melindaagriswold - can you guess who’s who? Comment below! Person 1 Love Language - Quality Time Pizza Forever Most Embarrassing Moment - Accidentally left a pair of their underwear on a cubby in 3rd grade and members of the opposite sex made fun. Adamantly denied ownership and abandoned that pair of underpants. Starbucks Order - Pike Place with cream, no sugar Person 2 Love Language - Words of Affirmation French Fries are life Most Embarrassing Moment - Once had a video published on YouTube and fly was down the whole time. Had
    by happyhomefairy 3 weeks ago
    I saw this fun idea by my friend  @melindaagriswold  - can you guess who’s who? Comment below! Person 1 Love Language - Quality Time Pizza Forever Most Embarrassing Moment - Accidentally left a pair of their underwear on a cubby in 3rd grade and members of the opposite sex made fun. Adamantly denied ownership and abandoned that pair of underpants. Starbucks Order - Pike Place with cream, no sugar Person 2 Love Language - Words of Affirmation French Fries are life Most Embarrassing Moment - Once had a video published on YouTube and fly was down the whole time. Had
  • I find myself spending more time looking at the world and the problems instead of looking at these 4 heroes right here. This is what needs our attention. This is where change begins. Spend time praying for them instead of scrolling vanity. Spend time memorizing God’s Truths instead of dwelling on flawed opinion. Spend time laughing and playing and breathing deep the smell of their necks. Spend time teaching and training and living in the ✨light✨. This is the future. God has great things coming.
    by happyhomefairy 3 weeks ago
    I find myself spending more time looking at the world and the problems instead of looking at these 4 heroes right here. This is what needs our attention. This is where change begins. Spend time praying for them instead of scrolling vanity. Spend time memorizing God’s Truths instead of dwelling on flawed opinion. Spend time laughing and playing and breathing deep the smell of their necks. Spend time teaching and training and living in the ✨light✨. This is the future. God has great things coming.
  • Life Updates >> Ryan - This weekend I broke the garbage disposal for the 14th time in our 17 years of marriage and he has not yet given up on me and my lack of understanding of what NOT to put down there. Love always hopes! Noah - Playing on the school basketball team and totally killing it this year! I have no idea what is happening on the court most of the time, but I know enough when the ball swishes through the hoop! Jethro - Creative, funny Jethro. He loves to make people laugh. And he loves to
    by happyhomefairy 3 weeks ago
    Life Updates >> Ryan - This weekend I broke the garbage disposal for the 14th time in our 17 years of marriage and he has not yet given up on me and my lack of understanding of what NOT to put down there. Love always hopes! Noah - Playing on the school basketball team and totally killing it this year! I have no idea what is happening on the court most of the time, but I know enough when the ball swishes through the hoop! Jethro - Creative, funny Jethro. He loves to make people laugh. And he loves to
  • Baby Zion is now officially acting like a toddler! We have mastered the words “No” “Mine” and how to go boneless when you don’t want mom to pick you up. Gearing up for this season of parenting with some truths >> ✨It is kindness that leads us to repentance.✨ It is love that covers over a multitude of sins.✨ It’s funny how doing this the third time isn’t as angering as it was with the first 2! Either I am more tired and not caring as much OR God is helping me to share His beautiful grace more as I
    by happyhomefairy 1 month ago
    Baby Zion is now officially acting like a toddler! We have mastered the words “No” “Mine” and how to go boneless when you don’t want mom to pick you up. Gearing up for this season of parenting with some truths >> ✨It is kindness that leads us to repentance.✨ It is love that covers over a multitude of sins.✨ It’s funny how doing this the third time isn’t as angering as it was with the first 2! Either I am more tired and not caring as much OR God is helping me to share His beautiful grace more as I
  • I got to wear a crown and a tutu ✨ and eat sweet potato fries for lunch AND dinner. ‍♀️ So far, 38 is pretty great.
    by happyhomefairy 1 month ago
    I got to wear a crown and a tutu ✨ and eat sweet potato fries for lunch AND dinner. ‍♀️ So far, 38 is pretty great.
  • I went to church today. It was so good and so needed. I haven’t been in weeks. It’s funny how I let myself get comfortable with that. I tell myself it’s easier to just watch church at home online. Which is not true because basically every time I do that the children start a wrestling match in the living room while I am trying to listen to the sermon. Or the baby poops during the opening song. Or someone is inevitably injured. But I tell myself how nice it was to not wake up early. How lovely to stay in
    by happyhomefairy 1 month ago
    I went to church today. It was so good and so needed. I haven’t been in weeks. It’s funny how I let myself get comfortable with that. I tell myself it’s easier to just watch church at home online. Which is not true because basically every time I do that the children start a wrestling match in the living room while I am trying to listen to the sermon. Or the baby poops during the opening song. Or someone is inevitably injured. But I tell myself how nice it was to not wake up early. How lovely to stay in
  • We got fancy last night for our neighbor’s wedding. ‍♂️The wedding was about an hour drive away, so we had lots of time for car conversations without kids. This usually means that I vomit all the stuff I have been trying to process on my own and Ryan swoops in with a few ultra wise one-liners that talk me off the ledge. Things I learned on the drive... 1. Stop watching the news. Our souls were not made for so much information. 2. Never stop dreaming. Even if your circumstances are hard and you feel all your creativity and hopes
    by happyhomefairy 2 months ago
    We got fancy last night for our neighbor’s wedding. ‍♂️The wedding was about an hour drive away, so we had lots of time for car conversations without kids. This usually means that I vomit all the stuff I have been trying to process on my own and Ryan swoops in with a few ultra wise one-liners that talk me off the ledge. Things I learned on the drive... 1. Stop watching the news. Our souls were not made for so much information. 2. Never stop dreaming. Even if your circumstances are hard and you feel all your creativity and hopes
  • When I had covid, this precious mama of mine called me every day. She dropped groceries on our doorstep (and even decorated them with Christmas lights ). She had food delivered to our house. She wore silly Christmas glasses and FaceTimed me to make me smile. She watched every single one of My ABC Truth Tree videos and liked them. She texted me every day to make sure I was taking medicine and drinking enough water. She prayed for me and reminded me that it would all be okay when I called her in tears on Christmas Eve worried that
    by happyhomefairy 2 months ago
    When I had covid, this precious mama of mine called me every day. She dropped groceries on our doorstep (and even decorated them with Christmas lights ). She had food delivered to our house. She wore silly Christmas glasses and FaceTimed me to make me smile. She watched every single one of My ABC Truth Tree videos and liked them. She texted me every day to make sure I was taking medicine and drinking enough water. She prayed for me and reminded me that it would all be okay when I called her in tears on Christmas Eve worried that
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