It was just one of those days. Exhausted, I walked to my car at the end of a long shift at work. I had just spent the last hours being a servant to hundreds of hangry guests, impatient individuals, and have found myself falling victim to harsh words spoken out of someone else's frustration. *Insert dramatic sigh* the pure bliss of working as a waitress on a BUSY Saturday night. Pure chaos. As I sat in my car, my mind started having a little pity party. And then almost like electricity to my heart, this little voice said, "Remember, you are a light".
Wait a second…. I thought about it again… Uhhhh what Jesus. A light? "You are a light". I remember feeling confused because after ten minutes of self-pity Jesus showed up as a savior to reaffirm my significance in this dark world.
A perfect contemplation to the parable of “The Lamp.”
“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
Take a moment to let those verses sink into your heart… a light of the WORLD. The Lord desires for us to shine his light in this dark world to bring his goodness out. We are called to be bold and shine – not hide the Love of the Lord when it gets difficult or uncomfortable.
What a beautiful reminder of the gift we may have – our faith. Our faith is what makes us SHINE! Our faith is what makes us different and stand out. Jesus uses us as vessels for that purpose.
A light. In a world obsessed with darkness, being light is what we are called to do. A light- something so simple yet so profound to shine in the dark moments, to shine when no one else is shining, to shine when he is asking us to be. Even if that means running around a restaurant trying to be optimistic.
How special is that? The Lord desires your light of his love to be visible to everyone. The parable of Jesus makes a note to say that the light should not be under a bowl but put on a stand to be SHINING! Wow. How affirming is it to know the Lord wants each one of us to be lamps for his kingdom.
I do not know about you... but sometimes I feel underqualified to be light for the savior Jesus Christ himself. I feel inadequate because let's face it... I do not know my Bible well, I try my best to pray but more often than I would like to admit I fall short, and I find myself falling victim to worldly things. The reality is-- it's not what you know - it's who you know. If you know Jesus- that's enough for him to work with. He desires so deeply for you to be a light in this world, and he wants to give you the grace to help spread his goodness and kingdom. Why would we try to hide it? If we so deeply love our brothers and sisters, why would we not want them to share in the glory of God?
I think about some of my coworkers who are recovering drug addicts, individuals who have been incarcerated, and people who live very different lives than me. I think about how different their lives could be if only someone had shone Jesus to them sooner. Take a moment to think about that… who are the people that you think the Lord may be calling on your heart for you to shine to.
We cannot deny that it can be uncomfortable and difficult to go against the natural flow of the dark world and try to be a light. However-- What a beautiful thing- the Lord meets us exactly where we are at on our journey of life and continues to show up.
One of my favorite quotes a friend of mine shared with me is just the simple reality of… “If you don’t bring Jesus to them... who will?”
Our duty my dear sisters and brothers are to bring the light of Jesus in the darkness of the world.
Where is the darkness in your life? Where is the light of Jesus needed to be shone? How could you shine? Maybe it is with work, messy relationships, family dysfunction… you name it. Let this parable speak to your hearts with the humble understanding ... you have everything if you have Jesus. EVERYTHING. Let that be your confidence- let that be your strength. Let that reality be the reason you want to share it with someone else.
The Lord has so much love to give-- ask him-- he is waiting.
Don't be fooled, more often than not, I still find myself contemplating quitting more often than I would humbly like to admit… But something that keeps me going (other than the sad reality of college tuition 😉) is the concept of … If I am not a light to these people... who is going to bring Jesus to them?
Your sister in Christ,
Angela