This Little Light of Mine

They're watching when I sit down to eat to see if I'll thank God in front of everyone.

They're listening when I get in my car and turn on the radio to find out what music comes out.

They're watching when I get hurt or scared to know what words will come out of my mouth.

They're listening when coworkers are gossiping about our job and each other to see if I'll gossip or complain too.

"They" are the people all around me, and they're paying attention to everything I do.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Shine your light. Clearly, that requires people to shine before, or else there would be no point in having a light. There's no getting away from it - they're all around, and they're all watching.

Light reveals what is hidden in the darkness. What do people see by my light? Do they see my good works? Do the things I say and do point them toward glorifying God? Are my words edifying and my actions encouraging and honest?

We don't always like what the light reveals. What if my words and actions are less than glorifying? Am I heard regularly gossiping, complaining, discouraging, or tearing others down? Do I make disparaging remarks about others or myself? Do my actions reflect a lack of honesty, integrity, or respect?

And once the things hidden have been revealed, they can't easily be covered up again. Damage done to a character is rarely fixed without much time and effort. It is easier to establish a poor reputation than a stellar one, and people's positive impressions fall to negative easier than their negative impressions are raised to positive.

Here's the catch: if my motives are not right, living a life pleasing to God is impossible. If my motives are correct, not everyone will like me but God will be pleased and His opinion is the most important. So, if a mistake is made with a right heart and good intentions, the damage is reparable; but if my motives are wrong from the start, I will never be able to glorify God and never fulfill my purpose here on earth.

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine... Another children's song with so much truth. What do people see by my light?

Photos courtesy of Brooke Hamelund.

This little light of mine...

I was at work overhearing a conversation between two coworkers about another coworker. The first two, which I'll call A and B, were laughing at coworker C, who likes to appear tough but is actually rather immature. In an attempt to defend my friend C, I spoke up. "He hasn't always been like that. I knew him, like, 3 years ago and he wasn't like that."

"Yeah," said coworker B. "He used to be a goody Christian."

Ouch. That one hurt.

Not even so much because I felt sorry for my friend...but because it was a testimony lost, a witness gone down the drain. There was a time when that specific friend had a great testimony, but even if he tried, no one would listen to him right now.

Of course, the moral of the story (which we don't like to think about) is that it could be anyone.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Let's face it - it's hard to be a light in the midst of darkness. Especially since the darkness fights back - and the darkness is stronger than we are! Thank God our light comes from Him, not of ourselves - we would never be strong enough on our own to keep our lights shining.

But what is the purpose of the light? Are we shining pointlessly? Does it make a difference whether our light shines or goes out?

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..." Funny how the songs we sing as children sometimes reflect the weightiest decisions we make in life. It's a choice to let your light shine...or not.

Sometimes it feels like you're the only one shining in the middle of the darkness - don't give up! You will be blessed for hanging in there. Other times it feels like everything is chaos and unstable, that it would be easier to simply give in and compromise your light. Again, you will be blessed for holding on, even if you can't yet see how.

How do I know? Because I've been there, done that - and let me tell you, our God is faithful.

He is the Giver of all light, the One who spoke light into existence - He is more than capable of keeping your light shining.

"Lilies of the Field"

It wasn't the easiest of days; my head was being stretched in several different directions and my heart was heavy. Funny how, on days like that when we need Him most, that the Father likes to so gently remind us how much He loves us?

Busily moving about and tending to business, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that stopped me in my tracks. What appeared to be just an ordinary patch of clover in an ordinary grassy lawn was anything but....because, standing tall and holding its head up proudly, a beautiful little daisy was poking up.

I stopped to look closer. I got down on my knees to get a better look. It crowned its thin stem, towering over the clover and grass, not ashamed to stand alone, to stand out.

On even closer look, I realized it was far from perfect. It was bruised...battered...beaten. Petals were bent and marred. Yet rather than hide from scrutiny, it continued to lift its cheerful face to the sunshine -- and the God who created both.

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 1 Peter 1:24-25

Ah God...my heart is convicted. How many times have I hidden behind my pain or my stress and worry, cried out to You that I cannot possibly praise You in light of the circumstances...the circumstances that You placed in my life. And it took a beautiful bruised daisy to reveal this to me!

The more I looked around, the more I realized how many flowers You placed around me. Most go unnoticed, living their short lives only to please You and then expiring after fulfilling the purpose for which they were created.

As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. Psalm 103:15-16

Some flowers are around me because I planted them there, because I desired their beauty around me. In the same way, You place me - plant me, even - where You want me, where You desire to show Yourself to the people around me.

Some flowers seem insignificant; they go unnoticed most of the time. Their sole purpose is to live their short lives to glorify God. How I want to glorify You, Father...whether or not I am noticed by men. In fact, make me whatever kind of flower You desire, that the glory may go only to You and not to me.

But should You decide to bestow me with more glory, as some showy flowers, may I never withhold it for myself and refrain from giving it all back to You, the One to whom belong "glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11

 Lord, make my life, my flower, one that glorifies You. One that people see and automatically praise You because of Your light in me. One that does not bring attention to itself but to the Creator.

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6:27-29

Oh God...in everything I do, be glorified!