LightSample

The Light in You

It’s night. You’re walking with your friends through a dark alley. No light. Nowhere. You pull out your phone and turn on the flashlight. Instantly you can see where you’re stepping. One small light, and everything changes. Now imagine you put your phone back in your pocket. It’s dark again. The flashlight is still on, but it’s no longer useful to anyone. Why would you do that?

Jesus is sitting with His disciples on a hill in Galilee. The land stretches out below them. Perhaps they see a city in the distance, glowing in the twilight. Jesus points to it and says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” And then: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Wait a minute. Who is Jesus saying this to? To theologians? To priests? To heroes? No, He’s saying it to fishermen. To craftsmen. To ordinary people from the countryside. People who have nothing special about them. No education. No influence. No followers. And yet, of all people, He says to them: You are the light of the world.

Yesterday was about Saul. God brought light into his dark heart. Today is about the next step. God doesn’t just want to bring light into you. He wants that light to shine through you into the world. Into your school. Into your family. Into your workplace. Every kind act. Every honest word. Every moment you give someone dignity. That is how God’s light shines through you.

Paul writes to the Ephesians: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

You don’t have to be perfect to shine. You don’t have to know everything. You don’t have to be able to do everything. You just have to be connected. To Him. And not hide your light in your pocket.