The Light

Almost every morning in the summer when I pull into my place of work, I  find myself greeted with a foggy mist that blankets the landscape. Only as you start to get closer do you notice the large, looming structures drenched in this heavy mist. I have always loved mist. The moisture in the air, the ethereal feel that it gives to normal, everyday objects makes me happy. Until this morning, when I realized that we live our lives in a perpetual mist.

1st Corinthians 13:12a "For now we see through a mirror, dimly..."

As we go through our day to day lives, we see the people around us. But do we really see them? The burden they carry, the ones that slow them down, that haunt their steps, do we see those? Most of us notice the extremes, the moments of happiness and bliss, where we join in and smile, and the moments of intense shame, hurt, and pain, when we often avert our eyes. But we miss a lot of the little stuff. The regular stuff.

But what do people see when they look at you? Anger? Pain? Worry? Fear? Sure, we all go through these emotions, we are human, no matter how hard that we try. After all, we are all flawed. I have never been good at hiding my emotions, I wear them on my sleeves for the whole world to see. My friends and coworkers almost never need to guess what is going on in my mind. When I am happy, I can walk into a room and change the attitudes of everyone inside for the better. I feel great, knowing that I brightened someone's day. That's exactly how we all should feel

You see, in the tired, mist-drenched world, we are supposed to be the light.

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven."

This Scripture is one that every Christian knows, but is it one that we all apply to our lives? Our light is supposed to give people hope. I know that, for a time, I hid my own light under a basket. I was a young adult, trying to please those in leadership over me at my job. I didn't share who I was, or where my faith lies. Time went on, I grew ashamed of myself. I knew the Word. I knew that I was supposed to be in the world but not of it. But when you cover your own light, you are letting the darkness overtake you. It might be slow, subtle, but it does. Day by day, minute by minute, it changes you. Warps you. Until you are too ashamed of yourself to ever speak out for our Lord.

As time went on, I noticed I needed a change. I added more light to my life. I had never stopped going to church, even at my worst. I started getting more involved in activities there. I changed the shows I watched, the language I used, even my job. I started courting the woman who is now my wife. All of these things broke the habits of shame that kept my light hidden.

Now, I doubt that there is anyone who knows me who doesn't know that I am a Christian. My faith is a huge part of my life, and I let my light shine everyday. Remember who you are. Remember what God has done for you. Don't let the devil convince or shame you into covering your light, because that is all that he can do. He can't cover it himself, he HAS to convince you to do it.

John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it."

Sam