This is the fourth and final post in a series; in part 3, Annie discussed what it means to be a “lamp on a stand.”

When you look in the mirror, what do you say?

No, that’s not a typo. I’m not asking what you see, I’m asking what you SAY. What do you say to yourself when you look at your own reflection? As a young adult, I struggled with self-esteem, with understanding that God had made me on purpose. And when I would look in the mirror, the venom I would spew in my own direction was dark and hateful. Yet, as a Christian teenager, I served and loved God and wanted to impact those around me on His behalf.

I thought I knew how to be a light, the way Jesus mentions in Matthew.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

Jesus was always intentional with His words, and this portion is no different. He starts turning our gaze to the world, then to our own cities and then into our own homes. But He didn’t end the conversation there- He finished with reminding us that each of us, individually, is a light.

If we want to be a light, we have to speak love to ourselves. We have to see ourselves the way God sees us- bright, shiny, clean, worthy. Only then can you be the light He wants you to be. How you speak to yourself, how you use words in your own mind, the lies you choose to fight and the truth you choose to believe, it all is meant to make you shine brighter and brighter in a dark world.

Call it like it is. YOU ARE A LIGHT. God has chosen to shine through you. And then? He wants you to shine in your home, a lamp on a stand. And as you do that, and your family does too, and the families and friends around you join in, y’all become a city on a hill—you light up your community in ways you never knew. And then? Then you become a light to the world. And the dark places aren’t dark anymore—they see Jesus.

Annie Downs is an author who loves helping young people—especially teen girls and young women—overcome the challenges that life puts in the way of their spiritual development. Her most recent book is Speak Love. Follow Annie at her blog, or on Facebook and Twitter.