“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
– Jesus, recorded in Matthew 5:16
The most complete and utter darkness I’ve ever experienced was when my friends, Bud and Teresa, led our youth group on a trip to Ape Cave, which is a lava tube, formed nearly 2,000 years ago from lava streaming down the southern flank of Mount St. Helens. After we descended into the cave and hiked a short distance, Teresa asked all of us to turn off our headlamps, flashlights, etc. At that point, I could see exactly nothing. I waved my hand back and forth, as close to my face as possible without touching it, and I detected zero motion. Then, after about a minute, she had one person turn on a tiny light, and we were all amazed at how drawn we were to that light, and how much it lit up an area that had been totally dark.
It’s no secret that we live in a dark, divisive, and difficult world. A place so dark that at times, we cannot see even the tiniest bit of light. But if we follow Jesus, He calls us “the light of the world.” When we live God’s way, His light shines through us to draw people to Himself, and to light up areas that were once completely dark. The way we live our real lives, at all times, and in all places, should demonstrate that we actually follow Jesus. That’s how we shine our lights in the darkness.
Of course, we all fail to do this, to one degree or another, but that’s a reflection on us, not Jesus. As Bob Russell is quoted with saying, “Just because someone plays Beethoven badly doesn’t mean Beethoven was a bad composer. Just because someone lives the Christian life poorly doesn’t mean that Jesus isn’t worth following.” People often judge Christianity based on the failures of those who say they follow Jesus, rather than on Jesus Himself, as He’s revealed to us in the Bible.
On the other hand, if we are genuine followers of Jesus, despite our failures and our brokenness, we have an immense responsibility that comes with representing Him in this world. In fact, our lives should show people that God must be there! I love what Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, wrote to explain the profound nature of showing Jesus to people: “To be a witness does not consist in engaging in propaganda, nor even in stirring people up, but in being a living mystery. It means to live in such a way that one’s life would not make sense if God did not exist.”
Troy Burns