This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!

21st August 2018

Ruth Starkings is determined to allow the light of God’s love and joy to shine in the darkness
 

Recently, I read this in my daily UCB notes:  “There’s not enough darkness in the whole world to extinguish the light of one small candle”
 
One small candle can give light, regardless of how dark it is.  Sometimes, things can seem very dark and hopeless. It might feel as though a situation is never going to get brighter.  At times, it seems as though all news is bad news, and no-one seems to be sharing anything good.  Yet, what hope the image of the small candle gives.  That no amount of darkness can put the candle out!
 
When a place is dark and a candle is shining, the brightness of the candle is what our eyes are drawn to.  Perhaps that is something to consider?  When someone is looking at me, what do they see?  Is my faith shining out?  Does my light glow or just simply flicker, every now and again?
 
We are encouraged by Jesus to shine brightly, “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)
 
I have just had the privilege of helping at our church’s summer camp.  We shared a week with just over 50 children and it was a real blessing to be with them.  One child was talking about becoming a Christian and she explained how she could see something in the leaders – their excitement and joy for Jesus – and it was something that she also wanted to experience
 
Fixing your eyes on God and shining your light can feel easier when you are spending a week completely focused on Jesus and sharing His good news.  Yet, when it comes to everyday life, it is not always so easy.  I become side-tracked by what other people might think or the seemingly never-ending to-do list
 
However, I have decided that I would like to make a difference to the world around me, to the place where I am.  Yes, there will be battles to face because the dark would like to extinguish the light.  Making the choice to shine is choosing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  It can feel like an uphill struggle, and often, as soon as I determine to make a brighter choice, I will find myself in a situation where I really have to press into the love and strength of God to enable me to make that choice
 
Fuel is also needed to keep shining.  My light will be brighter if I am spending time reading God’s Word, talking and listening to Him, and sharing with other Christians.  Otherwise, the candle becomes duller with less fuel and so will I
 
It takes courage to choose to be the light that shines brightly, yet what a wonderful choice to make – to shine and to know that there will never be enough darkness to extinguish my light

the image above is courtesy of https://pixabay.com
 
this article was also published on Network Norfolk
 

Ruth Starkings is the Family Worker at Meadow Way Chapel in Hellesdon.  She also enjoys writing, and just over a year ago started a blog called ‘With Every Sun Comes A New Day’
 

The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Yarmouth, and are intended to stimulate constructive and good-natured debate between website users

Click here to read our forum and comment posting guidelines