This Little Light
When I was a little girl, I was afraid of the dark. We lived in an apartment on the first floor of what had formerly been a large single-family home. The back door opened into a small mud room. From there, you stepped into a large kitchen and then into what my Mom called the parlor. A long, dark hallway stretched from the parlor to the seldom-used front door and gave access to the three bedrooms. My little room was tucked between the two larger bedrooms.
The apartment, while not large by today’s standards, seemed immense to a little girl lying in her bed all alone in the dark night. The distance between her room and the parlor seemed to stretch into eternity. She felt frightened and alone. She dreaded the night.
Her mother bought a tiny night light and plugged it into an outlet right by the door. That night, after bedtime stories and kisses, after the overhead light dimmed and the darkness closed in, that wise Mama turned the little switch on the night light they had named Friend. The soft glow from Friend’s bulb dispelled the darkness and the fears. She slept.
The light overcomes the darkness. It needn’t be a big spotlight. The smallest of lights will do.
Jesus said: “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:15 He also said we are the light of the world.
When I hear those words about being the light of the world, I tend to think of famous people doing BIG THINGS – those who are front and center doing what the Lord has gifted and called them to do – shining like beacons for Him. I feel so small in comparison. But then Jesus mentions the lamp, the small light shining in a small place, and I am encouraged. For the light shining from a heart that is fully His bathes everyone in its radiance. It covers families, neighbors, friends even strangers, drawing them to its source – to the One who came to bring light and life.
“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12
Blessings,
Linda
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nice post
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us, Linda. Yes, even our ‘tiny’ lights can show His glory in the world. He is the source of our light.
I love this post Linda. It encourages me a lot as I mother and keep house. It is very easy to believe the enemy’s lie that I am insignificant, doing invisible work. Your post helps me remember: 2 Corinthians 4:18-So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal! I love you and am so thankful for your “smallness” and gentle nature. There is no one like you. 🙂
Awesome Word! May our little lights shine for Jesus, in all that we do. ((hugs))