A Light in the Darkness
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14
I once was watching a crime show that told the story of a woman who was abducted, assaulted, and tortured over the course of a few days. When the man who did this to her dumped her body, he was under the impression he had killed her. He had strangled her, and she had played dead to throw him off. It worked, and he drove away and left her behind. She laid there for quite awhile, terrified, before she finally found the strength to get up. Seeing the lights from a house in the distance, relief flooded over her as she scrambled to get there - fearful the entire time that the man would return and see that his job was not finished. She pounded on the front door to the home, but the people inside would not open their door for her. And so she crumbled on their doorstep, beside herself and her hope shattered. While the residents of the home didn’t allow her to come in, they did call an ambulance and the woman was rescued. She survived.
How many of us have had this nightmare before? I know I have. I’m running from someone trying to kill me in broad daylight amidst a crowded street, screaming for help, but no one will even look at me. Nobody will help.
The reason why I’m beginning with this story is because I see an important parallel here. You have a woman who ran towards a light in the darkness - desperate, and afraid for her life. Searching for comfort and safety, and yet not finding it. She wasn’t turned away, but she was not let in.
It is in this manner that I often see many Christians behave towards others. I myself am guilty of it.
Too often someone will reach out to another who they know to be a follower of Christ looking for something they can grab onto - whether that be safety, warmth, compassion or hope - and they do not receive it. Instead they are judged, rebuffed, rejected and turned away. Perhaps this is because the Christian was scared, or angry. Maybe they did not know what it was they had done. Maybe they did.
Unbelievers are the people of this world that have an excuse to behave in this way. Christians do not. Jesus makes this very clear in John 15:19 when he says, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” So we are not of this world, and should therefore shine like beams of light in the darkness that surrounds us.
Unfortunately, it does not appear to the rest of the world that way. In times of great trouble, Christians are not the ones that people are often running to for help. In fact, if you do a Google search with the phrase “Why are Christians...” the following questions pop up:
Why are Christians voting for Trump?
Why are Christians so mean?
Why are Christians not like Christ?
Discouraging, isn’t it? It doesn’t have to be that way.
We are given the grace to be renewed, day by day, by our savior. There are so many mornings that I have woken up and told myself that I was going to be better, do better. That I would have more patience and show more love. But if I don’t ask for help from the One who knows my heart, it is on those days that I have ventured off on my own that I fail quite miserably. However, on the days where I start on my knees and ask for what I need, the Holy Spirit drives me with incredible joy and peace. The frequency of happiness that I am vibrating at simply cannot be put into words in those moments. You would think I would be wise enough to start everyday just like that, but I forget. I get busy, and I mess it up. Because I’m still human.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t work to change the narrative and instead, drive the Google search become...
Why are Christians so happy?
Why are Christians so kind?
Why are Christians so full of love?
Our hope for shining a light in the world begins in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Jesus has already begun a good work in you, and in me, and he will see it through to completion. I’m not saying it won’t be hard or that failure is obsolete, but his mercy is new with every morning and so is your chance to live out the intention of his grace. I read a quote once that stated growth was painful, and it definitely can be. I suggest you let God take up residence within you and allow him to renovate. Let him tear down the walls and replace them with new ones. Let him fill you with love. Only then will you begin to see the change in yourself, and I promise others will too. We should all be striving to be the light we wish to see in the world, and it can be done.
Start small.
Answer the knock at the door.