Expanding on the theme of light a little further, Rev. Andy Humm, Vicar at St George and St Paul, Tiverton, shares how we can shine with the Light of Christ.
Over the last few weeks we have had a number of light bulbs blow in our house. It seemed to be (and perhaps it is the same for you) that none of the spare ones we had lying around seemed to work or either were the wrong size or fitting!
It is commonly reported that Thomas Edison took many attempts to perfect the light bulb and thankfully did not give up until one eventually lit. However, if you will permit me I would like to ponder the thought that each of us should shine with the Light of Christ.
We all have the potential of being a light. A glowing light bulb represents someone who is filled with the light of God. A light bulb is made to only be screwed or twisted into the socket that was made for it. You could try lighting up a bulb by putting it in dirt or water, but it won't work because bulbs simply weren't designed for that type of power source. Similarly, as people, we can only find our true course through the love of Christ. Work or school, earthly relationships, or material things (no matter how important they are) won't light you up, we won’t find our true self there. You'll never feel like you're fulfilling your true purpose without finding the power source of God through Jesus Christ.
A small bulb or a little bit of light can light up such a big room and it is not the bulb but the light given off from it. We don’t create our own light; we can only reflect the light of God.
When we are lit up, when we shine, we don't have to be afraid to go into darkness. Even in the darkest room, the light will spread. Its power source is strong, and no force of simple darkness can unscrew it. In John 8 v12, when Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
An unlit bulb is identical to a lit one; the only difference is that it doesn't have a source of power to make it come alive. If a light bulb is not illuminated, it's not serving it's purpose. It was created to give off light and allow people to see what is truly around them. We use light so that we won't get lost, or bump into things at night, and so we can see the work we are doing, so we can complete it.
An unlit light bulb has the potential to accomplish all these necessary tasks, yet unless it is in the right fixture, with the correct source, it won't fulfil its purpose.
Our source is Jesus and we should invest time in connecting ourselves into Christ by reading His Word, talking with Him, and trying to listen to Him – three things I am not great at, though, I’m trying.
How? Perhaps start simple: Spending 10 minutes in prayer instead of watching 3 YouTube videos will do so much more for our lives – the earthly and the eternal one. Praying instead of singing in the shower will bring you so much more joy (unless you are singing worship songs!).
We were created by God, for God, and are loved by God. He wants each and every one of us to shine brightly for him and feel like we are living up to our full potential and are fulfilling our purpose in life for Jesus.
It's not easy and maybe you feel, like I do sometimes, that you are flickering in the darkness, never quite sure…? Trying to live the perfect Christian life, but flickering, perhaps losing your temper, not trying your best at school or in a situation where you are relied upon. Perhaps, our actions aren't matching how we say we are striving to live. Yet we mustn’t lose hope. In 1 Peter 2 v9, it says we ‘are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’
So stay connected to the source of the light and, although we may flicker or even go out sometimes, God in Christ is right there ready to reconnect us and help us to shine for him. Have a great week, Andy
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