The winds were fierce around my house last night. The windows shook and large trees were uprooted in my neighbors yard as we huddled together upstairs in the dark. It was wicked and wild and nothing at all like what the people of New Jersey or New York went through. I am grateful to be safe here in our house.
It’s amazing how well a few candles light up a room. We had a flash light and crank radio on hand but I lit a few candles and found the room had a lovely soft glow. I was able to write a bit and there was no distraction in the form of the internet or the telephone. I was able to just sit with my thoughts and express some thoughts on the page.
As I sat in that softly lit room listening to the wind swirl around us I thought a little about what it means to be the light of the world. It’s not something we really think about now as we’ve got switches and lamps in every room. We have light until we don’t want it any more and can duplicate the outdoors almost perfectly. There is almost always light around us. Even in our bedrooms we have the neon lights of our alarm clocks flashing so we’re never truly in the dark.
What does it mean to be the light of the world?
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
What does it mean to be the light of the world when there are neon signs and florescent lights everywhere?
I think perhaps we shouldn’t try to compete with the neon signs and florescent lights. When we need to be like the light perhaps we should turn off the lights to get perspective. It would seem to me that we’re trying to compete, to grab the attention of the world by being like the world but Jesus says we’re to be the light of the world, not the world itself. If we are to be the light, to show people that there is something better out there than perhaps we should be different from what is out there in the world.
I want to be a soft glow. Something that is noticeable and warm. Not sharp like a florescent light but soft like a candle. Perhaps we need to rethink our approach. Maybe we shouldn’t look to the world for ideas but instead should look inwards and find that light, that soft glow from the message that needs to shine. Maybe it isn’t all about production value but is instead about the message we wish to send.
What does it meant to be the light of the world? I’d love to know what you think.