We have all heard the lyrics of this children's bible song, but have we really considered the meaning of the words. As Christians we all have a little light ignited within us the moment we accept Christ as our personal savior. We are reborn moving from the darkness to the light, being renewed and transformed into his image.
Our challenge as new believers is to grow our light, to develop into strong and responsible Christians able to shine in the darkness. We become a light shining before all as evidenced by our actions. Growing our light takes place as we commit to prayer, to learning and living the word, and sharing his message. We move into the place where our light shines in the midst of the darkness. Darkness is no longer a place to flee from but rather an opportunity to let our lives shine bright, reflecting the message of Christ. We often pray and complain about the darkness in our lives rather than recognizing that Christ places us in the darkness so we can illuminate the path for others, a light helping them find their way to salvation.
Recently, I dealt with a situation where the person was dark and unreasonable, a person I wanted to avoid at all cost. I prayed what most of us might think of praying, God get this person away from me. But today as I prayed God revealed that this person was not placed in my path so I could complain about them, but rather so I could love them and shine the light of Christ. I fell into the trap of the flesh not recognizing an opportunity to serve my Lord, and instead criticized the person rather than loving them. I now realize my mistakes; I failed to love the least lovable and to illuminate the path to Christ. Fortunately God is forgiving and provides opportunities for us to overcome our mistakes and carry out the work he needs us to complete. He wants us to be the light that shines in the darkness and gives us multiple opportunities to achieve that goal. We can shine our light on those we serve at work, our families, our friends and on the strangers we meet each day. Let's all let our lights shine! Just a little advice to go!
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