Shine On!

“You are like light for the whole world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house.” — Matthew 5:14,15 

Jesus was talking to a gathering of followers and just after telling them that they were like salt, He also told them that they were like light.  They were salt because God used them to preserve those around them, but they were also light because through them, Jesus intended them to illuminate the truth of who God is.  What is interesting to me in these verses is that Jesus doesn’t suggest that a city in a valley or a light under a bowl has any less light, He just focuses on what to do with the light.  This is a call to do more with what we have.

My wife and I have only lived in military housing three times in my career.  We have mixed socially outside of military circles more than inside.  So, after many years, my wife doesn’t consider herself to be a “military” wife and she thought that she had little to offer those around her.  One day we were with a couple who had just heard that the husband was being called up to deploy to Afghanistan.  It obviously came as a shock to them and the wife was very emotional.  My wife started talking to her and suddenly discovered that she did have something to offer, having been through a similar experience.  Just by talking with her and relating to her circumstances, my wife was able to shine a little light on where God was in the situation.

I think sometimes we think that being a light is what pastors, or people who have been to seminary, or missionaries who take the Bible to far corners of the world are called to do.  The followers who were listening to Jesus had never seen a seminary, there were no churches to pastor and the Bible we have now was a long way off from being printed.  Jesus followers then, as they are now, were ordinary people and yet Jesus said that they were like light. They just needed to place themselves where they would shine.

By choosing to follow Jesus, we already have the light in us. Fortunately, God provides the light – if it was up to me it might on occasion go out altogether. The light might wane from time to time as we face challenges that filter it somewhat, but it doesn’t go away.  So what we need to do is to look for opportunities to place it where others can see it and can see who God is.

How does that look practically?  Well, first we need to ask God to help us deal with anything (sin) that might dim our light.  Then we need to ask God to give us opportunities to shine, be alert for those opportunities, and to act on them.  You may meet someone who is struggling with a deployment and they just need a listening ear – commit to have coffee with them.   You may meet someone who is making a bad choice in their marriage and needs some gentle but direct advice – be gentle, but honest in guiding them.  You may meet someone who just needs practical help like mowing a lawn or watching children for a while – sacrifice some of your time. The possibilities are endless, but each one shines a little light on who God is.

Now some of you reading this are already masters at serving others, so this is no big deal.  A lot of you, however, probably don’t take the next step, which is talking to people about why you are so nice and helpful.  That’s where you really get to shine a light on who God is.  You see, it’s easy for the people you help to write off your helpfulness as you just being nice.  In a sense, you are taking the credit if you let that go by without telling them that you are who you are because of what God has done for you.  That can be really scary, but it is the end goal of shining your light.  Take a deep breath next time someone says “thanks, that’s really nice” and say something like, “you know, I’m pretty selfish in myself, but God is helping me to think more of others”.  See what happens!  Of course you will need to know what to tell them if they ask how they can accept Jesus as their Savior because you never know how quickly the Holy Spirit will move!

Now here’s a thought– if we have a light each in our marriage, how much light can we shine if we work together as a couple?   Married couples in the military who follow Jesus have a unique opportunity to shine some light for other military couples, families and co-workers who are going through similar experiences as us.   I’d encourage you not to put that light in a valley or under a bowl, but look for opportunities to help those around you so that you can tell and show them who God is and what He has done for them.

Questions to share:

1.  Who can you think of right now who could do with some help?

2.  What can you do to help?

3.  When can you start?

4.  Pray about it, do it and see what God does with your light.