Are You the Light of the World?

I bent over the puddle at the end of the driveway.

It’s sunny out. Lots of contrast between the reflected images, the water, and the driveway underneath. There’s a basketball goal up. Must be people who like to shoot hoops every now and then at this house. It’s not Winter. Too many leaves on the trees. There are power lines overhead. Probably local distribution lines for homes. The driveway has some pretty good size cracks in it. Maybe something heavy dropped on it, or it has settled due to foundation problems.

Those were the few things I noticed as I gazed at the water. You may see even more.

Our lives can be a lot like this puddle.

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When others look at us, they may see many things. While they may not truly know our heart, they may draw conclusions based on what they see. Maybe they see how we spend our money. Do they conclude we are selfish or giving? Are we tight-fisted with our money, or do we hold it loosely? Maybe they see who is around us. Do we love all people, or do we tend to travel in cliques? Are we open to others, or are we closed off? Could be they see what we do day-to-day. Are we about the Lord’s work, or are we working solely for ourselves?

I know. It’s not fair when someone looks at us, maybe only briefly, and draws conclusions that may be way off base. For instance, they may see all those things I’ve mentioned and fail to notice the large crack in our heart where we’ve been hurt. Or maybe that crack represents grieving. Still, and it’s a hard thing to say, people look.

What do we want them to see?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16,

“Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (NASB)

Jesus has been talking to His disciples about being salt of the earth and light of the world. The light he refers to is the light of Jesus. Even today, Jesus wants us to do and act so that others see Him and glorify God. That includes who we hang out with, where we spend our money, what work we are about. Now, as a note, when I say, “who we hang out with”, I’m not saying we should only have Christians as friends. However, if we are with others who partake in inappropriate things, then that is a problem.

All we do should glorify God and cause others to do the same.

That puddle I observed? Though I saw many things outside of it and under it, the puddle was water. The light people see in us? That’s Christ. They may see what we do, how we spend our money, and who we associate with, but the light is all Christ.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on being the light of the world.Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.