Candle Light

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “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, NKJV)

Passing around shopping malls and homes, one cannot fail to notice the music and the candles that are lit.  We have entered the beautiful magical season of the year, which many have come to accept as a season of cheer and joy.  The atmosphere has changed with the beauty around us and notwithstanding the weather in some places, one cannot deny that some excitement is in the air, the celebratory sounds are getting louder and the lights brighter.  In the midst of all this external wonder, there are also deep quiet and dark places in people’s hearts and minds.  Many questions about what is really happening or what the next step should be.  The contrast between the outside wonder and the internal turmoil compounds the problems, as one smiles on the outside to please and to be in tandem with expectations, while he cries and screams on the inside. Many are feeling the pressure of the expected celebrations, yet they dare not show their struggles for then they fear they would be considered failures.  We live in a fallen world, where many have perfected the act of pretense so that the real pain is not seen or known by others. 

The singer, Kathy Troccolie’s beautiful song “Go light your world” reminds us that there is a candle in every one of us, a candle that can light a dimmed candle.  Today I want to borrow our reflection from this message of the candle within us, lighting other candles.  We are light bearers in a dark world, Jesus in our reference verse clearly informed all and sundry that He alone is the light of the world.  Brethren, we have received the light of God in our hearts, God has shown His light in us  (2 Corinthians 4:6) and we are now children of the light of God (1 Thessalonians 5:5).  We are not in darkness but in His light for His light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot understand it (John 1:5).  Beloved, it is when darkness is thick that the light shines brightest, as we witness the struggles of people around us, our light needs to shine upon them.  We are reminded that no one lights a lamp and then hides it (Matthew 5:14-16). The darkness around us demands that we light up brighter.  We shine our light to others when we encourage them and give them the hope of Christ in the middle of their situations.  Some people just need a listening ear which validates them and makes them feel accepted.  When we open our eyes to the pain, fear and suffering around us, we realize that little acts of kindness go a long way in helping another person.  It does not have to be expensive, the greatest kindness and warmth of the heart is given by just being human and seeing others as human too, deserving of the love of God.  Prayer, sharing, caring for other’s physical needs, giving of our time and energies are some of the ways that we not only show the love of God but we also light other people’s candles by the hope we share.

The truth is that even within the body of Christ, there are some who are suffering and we need to give our attention to them too.  Apostle Paul reminds us to bear each other’s burdens and in so doing fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). Our concern for the brethren cannot be ignored, we are to take care of others but more so for those who are in the body (Galatians 6:10).  We are called to do good at every opportunity and in keeping our candles lit, we give light and warmth to others.  It starts with us individually keeping our fires burning by the Spirit of God and when we then get together, we experience collective strength and hope for the journey.  Beloved, what you and I carry is for the body of Christ, we are parts of His body and when we reach out, it is Christ who reaches out through us.  The light that we carry must expel the darkness that looms around and thankfully even when we share our light our candle does not in any way lose its brightness.  Even as we have used a candle in this post, we need to be reminded that a candle gives light by burning itself, our lives must be the light that others see, it should reflect God’s work in us and reflect His glory (Matthew 5:16).  Our light is not out there but from within us, lit by the Spirit of God. A candle loses nothing by lighting another, be the candle that lights others.

Thoughts:

How bright is your light?

Where is the darkness around you?

What will make your light shine brighter this season?