Shining Lights
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My life is falling apart. Nothing is going right today!” Anna screamed. “I am so sorry. Is there something I can do to help?” Ezzy asked. “My dad just sold his parents’ property and told my relatives he has given the money to me for my cancer treatment. I don’t have cancer! How could a father lie about his own child? It hurts so much!” Anna continued, her voice filled with anguish, “Furthermore, to add to my misery, a friend just lied about me to my church family. It feels like she is trying to get the pastor and the church to hate me.
And on top of that, my coworker just lied about me to my boss. Everything is falling apart!” “Have you heard the song ‘This Little Light of Mine’?”* Ezzy asked. “It is a gospel song that Harry Dixon Loes wrote a popular adaptation to in the 1940s.
I think it applies to your situation. Remember what the verse says: ‘Don’t let Satan blow it out.’ What does this mean?” Ezzy explained, “Satan is the biggest liar. He lied about Jesus. He made multitudes go against Jesus; he made one disciple to betray him, another to doubt him, and yet another to deny him, not just once but thrice.
Satan is always trying to blow out your candle. Don’t let him do it! He doesn’t try to blow out your candle only through your enemies but also through your family, your friends, your church members, and your colleagues.” Friends, do you remember the verse that goes, “Hide it under a bushel? No!” When Satan tries to blow out our candles, we tend to want to hide them under a bushel. But that is when God invites us to shine even brighter by showing a caring spirit, loving heart, and acts of compassion. So let us determine to hold fast, be strong, be brave, and let God shine His light through us. Matthew reminds us, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, NIV). Let us be diligent in allowing God to work in and through our lives, shining His light and helping others find their way home.
Suhana Chikatla
* Harry Dixon Loes never copyrighted or claimed credit for writing the original, which remains of unknown origin.
