Shining in the Darkness

“The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has never been able to put out the Light.” John 1:5

As we live in a world of conflict and negativity, we tend to accept these things as normal. We see the darkness and sometimes conform to it. Today in church, Troy proposed us a challenge. His challenge was for us to shine. To shine means to give off or reflect light. Day after day, I ask God to shine His light through me. I want others to see Him through me. I want to do good things, ask questions of others and pay attention to them to see what I can do help them with their walk with Christ. I know I can do better, however, and I know that as I strengthen my relationship with Him, people will also see this light. Charles Sprugeon said, “Nearness to God brings likeness to God. The more you see God, the more of God will be seen in you.” Along with focusing on others, we must focus on our Creator. The more time we spend praying, worshipping, going to church, having conversations with Him as we go through our day, singing songs to Him, and reading His word, the more we will feel His presence and guidance. He wants us all the time from when we vulnerable on our knees needing Him all the way to holding our hands in the air joyfully worshipping Him. As we get in touch with the Light that leads us, we can continue our duties as His disciples. Asking what Jesus would do in the situation is a good way to hear what He has to say on if you’re doing the right thing or not. I want to challenge myself every day to be the light that extinguishes the darkness no matter where I am: school, home, the grocery store, church, or any other place. We are the light of the world and with Him we can shine in any situation.