Shining a Light

In the wee hours of the morning, I heard a cry coming from Kendall.  I went back to find him sitting up in his crib and he told me that his mouth hurt.  I realized that between the allergy medicine we had given him and the cooler weather that had moved in that he was probably just dealing with a dry, scratchy throat.  So, I picked him up and we went down the dark hallway to a dark kitchen and prepared a cup of water for him.  Then, I sat with him in the darkness of the living room.

 He, remembering that we were playing a hunting game earlier, said, "Hunting game gone-gone?"
 "Yes," I replied.
 "No show?" he said looking at the television.
 "No, Mommy was sleeping," I answered.
 "Oh........ Daddy sleeping.  Caleb sleeping.  Carson sleeping..... I go night night," he sweetly replied.

I took him to bed and tucked him in tightly.  As I walked through the house back to my warm bed, I marveled at how he never realized that it was the deep dark of night and how the silence of slumber did not alert him to fact that morning had not arrived as of yet.  As I drifted to peaceful sleep, the thought hit me, just how easily the spiritually lost live in the darkness of this world- going about their lives never realizing that the light of the Savior could flood their world.  His precious healing light that mends the broken, brings hope to those drowning in hopelessness, and gives purpose to the mundane.  He is all that we cannot be on our own and His beautiful light is meant to bring out all the beauty within....  The thought then hit me.... am I doing enough to shine and reveal His light into my world?  If they desperately need to see His light, am I revealing it? 

"Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in." (John 8:12 MSG)

"This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him." (1 John 1:5 MSG)

"Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out." (John 1:3-5 MSG)

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16 MSG)

Father, how I humbly thank you for your precious light that has brought healing, hope, love, joy and peace into my heart, mind and soul.  Thank you for allowing me to be a light-bearer to your world.  May I honor you and live out a reflective life before others that draws them to your safe harbor.  Help me be filled with such overwhelming compassion that draws me to deep empathy for the darkness in our world.  Enable us, Father, so we may be a blessing to you!