Shining

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify God in heaven."  Matthew 5:16.

It's a new year, so it's time for new resolutions.  I really like resolutions; it feels good to find the right one and set an intention for the year.  But I have found that resolutions are like prayers―whatever I resolve is something that will be tested.

At one point, I thought I had heard the verse about letting your light shine so many times that it no longer had meaning.  But over the past year, this verse has had new life for me.  (I think the fact that it is part of the theme for the FWCC World Conference may have something to do with that.)

I felt led to give two messages based on the verse over the past year, and each of them felt like short sermons.  In the first, I said in part that the verse was hard for me because I don't think of my work as particularly good―it seems like others are doing much better and more exciting work than I am.  In the second, I said that the verse is challenging because when you let the light of God shine through you, that light attracts the powers of darkness, which will do anything they can to put it out.

"But the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."  John 1:5.

So, my resolution this year is to let my light shine.  It feels right because I know it will be hard and it will be a good spiritual practice for me.  In order to let my light shine, I will have to remember that the Spirit of God is within me and act accordingly.

It can be easy to not let my light shine, to avert my eyes or to remain silent when I feel led to speak.  But I resolve to try to let go of my need to be right and focus instead on trying to be faithful.  I will also do my best to let my light shine through my mistakes and my doubts, because I know that the light of Christ shines through those too.