Let Us Be Light!
Do good to your servant, according to your word, Yahweh. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. — Psalms 119:65-66
If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light. — Luke 11:36
Author
Fanny Rodríguez
Summary: Just as a clean car stood out among vehicles covered in salt and mud, our lives should make the light of Christ visible. Being light is reflected in responsibility, punctuality, and excellence at work, but also in our character, gentleness, and wise handling of conflict. Speaking about salvation is not enough if our words are not accompanied by lives of integrity. Our witness must reach our homes and neighborhoods as well. Let us continually pursue holiness through the Word, prayer, fasting, and spiritual disciplines, so that others see the difference and desire to know the One who transformed us.
After a storm in Boston, I was on my way to church, noticing how all the cars were covered in salt and mud kicked up by passing vehicles. I knew my own car looked dirty, too. While waiting at a red light, I saw a car that was completely clean and stood out from the rest. It was obvious that it had been washed recently. It was white as well, which made it even more noticeable.
All the cars—the one to my left, the one to my right, the one in front of me, and the one behind the white car—were so dirty that the clean car stood out and shone. Then I thought about the Lord’s call on our lives to be the light of the world amid darkness.
What does it mean for us to be light? Well, it means that wherever we are, even our presence can be felt, and people can clearly see that our way of life is different, guided by the values of the Kingdom of God. How can they see that we are children of God? Through our responsibility and punctuality at work; through the excellence with which we carry out the tasks assigned to us; and through harmonious, well-run homes. But our character and attitudes are important, too. Does this mean that we should never have conflicts or difficulties in our dealings with others? Not really. It means that we must learn to handle conflicts and differences wisely. We may well be concerned with speaking about the message of salvation and the power of God. Yet our words will have no impact unless they are accompanied by a life that exemplifies walking with Christ.
Richard Stearn, in his book 'The Hole in our Gospel' (the hole in our gospel), shares that approximately one-third of the world’s population identifies as believers in Jesus Christ; yet we are not making the expected impact. Let us remember that a handful of apostles made an impact on the ancient world and brought about a spiritual, social, and political transformation in the Greco-Roman Empire. The way to make an impact on this world is to live lives of integrity before God so that the world will want to know the One who transformed us.
Well, our impact should not be limited to the workplace; it should reach our homes and our neighborhoods as well. As the Word says, let our gentleness be known to all.
Finally, our continual pursuit of holiness will help us bear a witness that makes others turn and look with curiosity when they see our “cleanliness,” just as I looked at that car. Then they will be able to see and hear about the author of our salvation.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of salvation. Help me and everyone who reads this meditation to live according to Your commandments, so that the world may see the difference that comes from walking by Your side. May the daily reading of Your Word, prayer, fasting, and all the spiritual disciplines cleanse me each day, so that Your light may shine through us. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.