Is Your Light Shining Before Others?
By Tiffany Thibault
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16
When I was setting up my baby's nursery, I made sure that there was a night light in the room. I knew that I would be very grateful for the low light it gave so that I would not stumble in the dark as I cared for my newborn in the middle of the night.
As my children grew and moved out of their cribs, into big girl beds, and then into their separate bedrooms, they always wanted to have a night light on. One little light shone in the bathroom, and one was turned on by their beds. When they determined that they were too old for a baby night light, they still wanted me to keep the hall light on for them until they fell asleep.
Those lights I left on kept the scary things away. It was bright enough to illuminate the good and familiar things in their room. It brought peace to them. It dispelled the scary thoughts. It allowed them to fall asleep without fear.
We are living in such an amazing time. At the click of a button, we can have access to instant information, both good and bad. Unfortunately, it often seems that the bad outweighs the good. Relationships are hurting. Hearts are hopeless. Lives are riddled with fear and anxiety.
Our Bible verse tells us to let our light shine so that people can see our good works and when they do, they will praise our Father in heaven.
In our world of fear, bad news, scary moments, and uncertainty, this is the very time that we need to turn our lights on. We need to make sure that we are plugged into the Word, and are spending time studying the Bible and praying, for it’s then that God will shine through us. The more we plug into Jesus, the more we will crave reflecting His love and peace to others.
This is pointed out to us in Colossians 3:16-17: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Just as I was happy to leave the light on for my small children, as it was comforting to them, those living in the world around us desperately need the light. They desperately need hope as well. Darkness brings shadows that imaginations can make into terrifying shapes and situations. The light always brings illumination. People need to see that there is hope, that there is another way to walk through their days.
Jesus says that we are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5:14-15)
How bright is your light shining? Are you hiding the reason for your hope under a basket, or under the bottom of your priorities? To turn the night light on for my girls required action on my part. We need to have action if we are going to reflect the light of Jesus.
What are you doing intentionally in this season to fill yourself with the light of Jesus? This year, I am being super intentional about my daily quiet time reading the Word. I know how vital it is, but I also know how weak I am sticking with it. So this year I recruited my teenage daughters to read a Bible plan with me on an app. Their accountability is working! Can you find someone today to help you be accountable for your quiet time? Let’s not put off one more day of growing closer to Jesus. Open His Word and let His love flow through you today.
Tiffany Thibault enjoys living life with her husband, two daughters and one very large dog. She not only homeschools her girls, but she also loves to write about Jesus and speak about Him to groups of women. She loves long walks, coffee and anything chocolate. You can find her over at her blog at www.TiffanyThibault.com.
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