One Step Closer: Be the Light

Years ago, legendary football coach Frosty Westering used a simple picture in his book, Make the Big Time Where You Are, that has stuck with me: Lighting candles. One of the thoughts connected to that idea was equally simple: By lighting others' candles, we all shine brighter. I love that picture. One candle doesn't lose its flame by lighting another. Instead, what was once one small light becomes two. Then three. Then four. Pretty soon, the darkness isn't quite so dark. There is plenty of darkness in our world. Anger. Selfishness. Division. Fear. Complaining. Criticism. Hurt. Hopelessness. Yet for those of us who belong to Jesus Christ, darkness should never be where the story ends. Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” — John 8:12 Jesus is the Light. We don't manufacture the light. We don't create it through positive thinking, good deeds, or trying really hard to be nice people. Our light comes from Him. But then Jesus says something incredible to His followers: “You are the light of the world.” — Matthew 5:14 So which is it? Jesus is the Light. And somehow, He chooses to shine that light through us. For the last two years, I have been part of a group that puts together a free conference for educators of faith. It has been an incredible experience. Educators from our area come together as brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage, support, and grow together. Two years ago, one of our speakers was Marcus Young Sr., a Pastor from the Tacoma area. He shared a thought about being the light that I haven't forgotten. He challenged us not merely to be the light while we are somewhere. He said we should live in such a way that when we leave, people notice something is missing. Maybe they can't even explain what changed. They just know something did. That thought still convicts me, because it forces me to ask a much harder question: Would anyone notice the missing light when I leave? That question bothers me because there are times when I become too comfortable with my faith simply being what it is. I believe. I'm saved. I go to church. I pray. I study God's Word. I serve. But am I growing? Am I becoming closer to the One who saved me? Am I becoming more like Jesus? There are times when I realize I have become comfortable expecting the Holy Spirit to work while forgetting that I should have a growing desire to be used by the Holy Spirit. That convicts me. I don't want my relationship with Christ simply to exist. I want it to grow. Paul wrote: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” — Philippians 2:12–13 Paul isn't telling us to work for our salvation. Jesus already accomplished that work. He's describing what happens because we belong to Christ. God works in us, and we willingly respond to what He is doing. I saw a simple example of that this week. I was attending a meeting with education leaders from across our area, representing five counties. Normally, we probably arrive like people arrive at countless other meetings. We're thinking about everything waiting back at work. The email we haven't answered. The problems we need to solve. The fire that needs putting out. The hundred other things we could be doing. But this year, a group of us decided to do something different. We decided to be the light. Now we arrive about thirty minutes early. And we pray. Together. Out loud. We pray for one another. We pray for our schools. We pray for the people we serve. We pray for the needs around us. And yes, there were people walking into that meeting who were pretty surprised to find a group of education leaders openly praying together. That's okay, because here's what I am learning: Being the light sometimes requires us to step out in faith. We could have sat around hoping God would somehow make His presence known. Instead, we made ourselves available for Him to use. God doesn't need us. But He wants us. He chooses to work through His people. This is something God has been teaching me personally in other areas of my faith as well. For a long time, I waited for the Holy Spirit to simply give me the gift of speaking in tongues. I waited and waited. Nothing happened. Eventually I came to understand something differently: I wasn't stepping out in faith. For me, speaking in tongues required trusting God enough to begin to believe that He knew my heart and that, even through words I didn't understand, my spirit could express to God what I could not put into my own words. I had to be willing to step out in faith. That experience taught me something much bigger than speaking in tongues. Faith requires trust. God doesn't force us into relationship with Him. He gave us the freedom to choose Him. As believers, there are still moments when He gives us opportunities to trust Him enough to step forward. Being the light is one of them. We can spend our lives waiting for God to put us somewhere bright. Or we can allow Him to use us in the darkness. Paul told believers: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” — Philippians 2:14–15 Notice where the lights are shining. In the darkness. That's where light matters. Anybody can shine when surrounded by light. The question is what happens when we walk into a place where Christ isn't being talked about. What happens when everyone else is complaining? What happens when everybody is angry? What happens when nobody wants to help? What happens when people are tearing someone down? What happens when praying openly might get a few strange looks? Do we become part of the darkness, or do we bring the Light with us? That doesn't mean being obnoxious. It doesn't mean forcing our faith on people. And it certainly doesn't mean putting on a show so everyone notices what wonderful Christians we are. Jesus told us exactly why our light should shine: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:16 There it is. Not so they glorify us. So they glorify Him. That's where Frosty's picture becomes so powerful to me. Light another candle. Encourage somebody. Pray with somebody. Help somebody. Forgive somebody. Serve somebody. Tell somebody about Jesus. Step into something that isn't comfortable because you believe God might use you there. One candle lights another. Then another. Then another. None of us created the flame. It all came from Him. The Holy Spirit is doing the work. Our responsibility is to be willing to step out in faith and say: Use me. Maybe that's what somebody notices when a follower of Christ leaves the room. They might not understand why that person was different. They may not have the words for what they experienced. But maybe there was something about the encouragement. Something about the peace. Something about the willingness to serve. Something about the joy. Something about the prayer. Something about the love. Something was different. And when that person leaves, something seems to be missing. Maybe that's the light. Your Challenge This Week Don't just ask the Holy Spirit to shine somewhere. Ask Him to shine through you. Then be willing to step out in faith when He gives you the opportunity. Pray with someone. Encourage someone. Serve someone. Talk about Jesus. Walk into a dark place and refuse to add to the darkness. You don't have to manufacture anything. The Light already exists. You simply have to be willing for Him to use you. And at the end of the week, ask yourself the question Marcus Young Sr. planted in my mind two years ago: Would anyone notice if my light were gone? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, good. It makes me uncomfortable too. Because maybe that discomfort is reminding us that we shouldn't be satisfied with our faith simply being what it is. We should want to grow. We should want to become more like Christ. We should want His light to shine brighter through us. One Step Closer: Don't simply wait for the Holy Spirit to do something around you. Ask Him to use you, then step out in faith. Go somewhere the world could use a little more light and let the Light of Christ shine through you.