Light in Darkness
The Gospel according to Mark states in Mark 4:21 “And he said to them, is a lamp brought to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?”
I’ve been thinking about this verse a lot this last week. I don’t think we are meant to be background Christians, that just sit in the shadows, blending in, and don’t stand out. I believe that something is supposed to be different about us….we who call ourselves Christians. We should be adding light to this dark world that we live in.
Henceforth, this causes me to think, there are a lot of pressures of witnessing, and I know that I put a lot of pressure on myself… that I got to witness, got to witness – to shove that light on to people. Some times the pushing can push people away. I envision myself actually physically pointing a flashlight onto someone to the point that I’m just pushing them slowly along the path. This only helps them see where their feet are, not ahead of them. Th light, in essence, didn’t help out. This isn’t who we are. We have or should have our light on a lamp stand. It should attract people to the light. It lights up the path around us so that those who step toward the light better find their footing. They can see the path, they can find which path they want to take, they can more easily find their way to God. In other words, it’s not so pushy. It’s there, but it’s not shy and insecure or hiding out either. The lamp is up high for everyone to see. People can see our works, they need to be seeing our light and because of the darkness they are muddling and tripping through, that light is attractive. The naturally go towards the light. We are to be God’s light to this dark gloomy world.
