Being the Light?

Have you even really thought about what that statement means? What does it actually mean to be the light? Well I know we talk about that at church and teach children songs that tell them about it but really what does it mean. I have been thinking about what this means and what to share with you. I pray that what God has been showing me will help you wrestle with this question.

Let's start with what light isn't and maybe that will help a little in this. If something is dark what does that mean? It just means that there is an absence of light. Some of the things I know light isn't is dark, it doesn't hide well, it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for doubt about how something looks, and it doesn't give way to fear. So with just these few thoughts I can venture to say that light exposes things for what they were. I remember being scared when I was little and I always wanted to sleep with the light on. Why? Because if I thought something was in my room in the light I could see that it was only my childish imagination. How do you feel when you see those first glimpses of daybreak when you have been up all night afraid of something? I will leave you with that thought for a moment.

I want to talk to you about the parable of The Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-24. Stick with me here, we all know some version of this story where the son asks the father for his inheritance early and the father allows him to have it and the son leaves to a far off land. I want to stop here and see if I can maybe give you a new take on this story. Try and look at this story from the Fathers point of view. The father loved his son so much that he chose to give him the inheritance early. He loved him so much that he let his son leave and travel, and he loved his son so much that he waited for his return. I know I am skipping some things about the son, but I said this is the fathers point of view, so the son left and then the father waited for him. Now before the son left the father could have said no to his son and made him wait for his inheritance. This father loved his son so much that he let him go, not fighting him or telling him that he didn't love him anymore or that he would never have a place to come home to, it says that he let him go. I want you to now picture this father as God Your Father. He loves you enough to let you leave if you want to. So now lets reenter the story from the son hitting rock bottom, if wanting pig food isn't rock bottom, then I am not sure I know what rock bottom looks like. The son decides that even his fathers servants are looked after better than he is, so he sets out for home. It says that when he was far off, his father saw him and ran to him. Now I have a question, if the father wasn't looking for him, would this father have seen him? I wonder how often that father looked for his son. I wonder how many nights he stayed up just waiting for his return. How many nights do you think that father left the light on for his son? Do you think that son saw the light from far off and knew that he would be home soon to see what would happen?

So back to the light, what does light do? It gives hope, it dispels darkness, it comforts, it can give warmth, it allows us to see, so we don't fall over something, and it shows things for what they really are. So here is my real question, if God tells us we are the light of the world what does that mean? Well it means to me that we dispel darkness, and we bring hope and comfort to those in the world. We also show the world how dark it is. That sounds like a pretty cool, hard, and exhausting job, but that is what Christ gave to us. I know that I am not always good at it, but I sure want to take my job seriously in this and make sure I am doing it well. So what is being the light? Its dispelling darkness and giving hope to others. Lord, please help us be better light to others. If our light is dimming, please change us so that we can give hope to others and dispel darkness, even when its hard and it hurts to be that person, please give us courage to be light, your light. Thank you Jesus for giving us this gift. May Jesus bless your day!!!

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