I write about Stuff

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given…” —Ephesians 1:18 NLT

There’s a question people love to ask: “What’s the one thing you can say that will make someone believe in Jesus?” As if there’s a secret phrase, a magic key, a spiritual shortcut that unlocks a person’s heart on command. But faith doesn’t work like that. Hearts don’t open because we’re clever; they open because God is kind.

When I share my faith, I do what most of us do—I tell my story. I speak honestly about Jesus, about what He’s done in my life, about the places He has healed and the places He is still healing. And then I pray. I pray that God will do what only He can do: open someone’s eyes.

You’ve probably seen this too. You can pour your heart out to one person and feel like your words are bouncing off a stone wall. Then you share the same truth with someone else, and suddenly there’s softness, curiosity, hunger. It’s not your technique. It’s not your timing. It’s the Spirit gently turning the light on inside them.

I remember when the light came on for me. I was young, guarded, skeptical—watching Christians from a distance with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. And then one sentence pierced through all my cynicism. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t emotional. It was simply true. And in that moment, something shifted. It felt like someone opened a window in a dark room, and for the first time, I could see what had been there all along.

But here’s something important: having your eyes opened doesn’t automatically mean you’ll follow Jesus. I’ve met people who believe all the right things about Him—His life, His death, His resurrection—and still refuse to surrender. They acknowledge the truth but keep it at arm’s length. Awareness is not the same as obedience. Seeing is not the same as stepping.

Still, eye‑opening is the first step. And only God can do it. That’s why Paul prayed for hearts to be “flooded with light.” That’s why we pray before we speak, before we share, before we step into conversations that matter. Because we know that spiritual sight is a miracle, not a method.

There are people in your life right now who are wandering in a kind of inner darkness—good people, thoughtful people, people you love—who simply cannot see what you see. Their hearts feel closed, their minds feel hardened, and their lives feel far from the warmth of God’s presence. But God has not given up on them. And He may use you—your tenderness, your courage, your steady presence—to help them glimpse the light.

You don’t have to force anything. You don’t have to convince or pressure or perform. You simply show up with love, speak truth with gentleness, and pray that God will do what He has always done—open eyes, soften hearts, and draw people toward Himself.

Because when the light comes, everything changes.

What about you? Who in your life needs you to pray, “Lord, open their eyes,” and how might you gently reflect His light toward them today?