“Let Your Light Shine”
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body is also full of darkness.” Luke 11:33,34
The first portion of this verse surfaced in my mind after I encountered a friend that was hurting. I could not recall where it was in the Bible, nor the details surrounding it, but the idea of sharing the light I knew versus refraining from it pierced my thoughts. Life’s circumstances were disappointing for my friend, and defeat was tattooed across her forehead. As I struggled to find the right approach, these words played out in my head, “no one lights the lamp and hides it, share The light you have, tell how you face life with The light?” The light was the assurance of Jesus’ guidance and closeness in every moment of life, the hard decisions, the small decisions, the junk, the joy, the doubt, and the celebrations. He was present in all things and that was what brought a steadfast clarity within me. Attempting to find solutions to each problem made me stumble; I didn’t have all the answers. But recalling a portion of this verse reminded me that I had a message of bright hope to pierce the uncertain darkness.
I wondered where that verse came from because it was not something I had read recently. I knew in my heart it was The Holy Spirit prompting me with the message, but I wanted to seek the verse out for more insight. As I gathered my gremlins, aka my children, around the kitchen table I opened our family devotional. Right before my eyes, on the one day we actually succeeded to do our daily Bible reading, was THE passage with that verse from Luke 11.
I belted out, “I’m picking up what you’re putting down Jesus!” at my children and watched them exchange strange faces with one another.
As my eyes continued reading His message, I was reminded of how we are simply called to be a beacon of light to others by sharing how He works within us. The perspective became clear, and my mind was filled with examples of how The Lord listens, notices, and assures us. It wasn’t that my life was free from disappointment or heartbreak, but sharing life with Jesus, produces a certainty within me that propels me forward as He leads the way.
Ya’ll, we are living in a world desperate to see light among darkness. They want perspective. They want the message of hope, but sometimes their eyes have been fixated on darkness too long. Their eyes have become unhealthy as they stumble through life, grasping for anything to guide them, yet Jesus Christ is The light waiting to take their hand and guide them. If we are followers of Him, then we are called to share this message of light and avoid keeping it within us. As Luke 11 tells us, display that light so others may come towards it to see.
