My street can be a dark and
ominous place to walk at night. As I was
walking my street this morning around 4:30, I found shelter from the darkness
under the street light that sits loyally on the side of the road. Night after
night, the street light illuminates a portion of the street with its
incandescent glow, bringing light to a small slice of my street, while the rest
of my street sits in obscurity.
The daylight reveals the street
light for what it really is, a warped piece of wood fashioned carelessly into a
pole with an odd shaped lamp protruding from the top. It really isn’t much to look at when the sun
is shining, but at night, in the darkness, that lamp is transformed into a
beautiful place of refuge as a power source brings life to the street light.
Without that power source, which
lies a hundred miles away, the street light is nothing more than that some wood
and metal. It must be plugged into the
power source to be transformed into a light, or else, the work of creating the
lamp was in vain.
When the light of Jesus Christ
shines on us, we are revealed for what we really are, imperfect and unholy,
needing purpose in the darkness.
But when you connect to the power
source, Jesus Christ, his light will shine in and through you and turn you into
a place of refuge that people are drawn to in the darkness. I know, I know, you aren’t much to look at,
right? What if people see what you have
done? What if they know about your
struggles that run rampant through mind daily?
What if they see you as a fake?
When the light of Christ shines
through you, much like the street light, everything else around that light
disappears and becomes less significant.
At night, I am attracted to the light itself, because that is what makes
me feel safe, everything else fades into the backdrop of the night.
The street light still has its
imperfections, but at night, in the darkness, they disappear, as the light
shinning from it gathers all of the attention. Likewise, your imperfections fade away when the light of Christ lives within you.
You have a choice. You
can to let your light sine before men, that they may see your good works and
worship the Father who is visible through you, or choose not to plug into the
power source and wait with nervous expectation for the Son (pun intended) to
come out hoping it doesn’t expose you for what you are.
Today, right now, become the
bearer of the light that God designed you to be by turning to Jesus and
plugging into him, allowing his light to penetrate the darkness that
encompasses your world and the world of those around you.
Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 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.
