Be the Light
Whatever you are going through right now is no surprise to God. He knows everything about us. Every thought, every action, every tear. He knows our fears and our anxieties. He knows the paths we have in front of us before we even step out on to the road. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;” Jeremiah 1:5. We often try to walk these roads alone because we feel shame or guilt- or even as though we can do it without God. These roads usually end up being dark and lonely. This isn’t because God has left us there, it’s because we left God out. The noise of the world tends to crowd us from hearing His direction. But, no matter how dark and confusing our path gets, He will always leave us drops of encouragement along the way. Noticing these God winks takes practice sometimes. We have to want to see them. Tunnel vision comes when we are focused on the end result, which is necessary sometimes, but what happens is we get lost in the end goal and don’t pick up the wisdom along the way. Wisdom from our trails is a gift that cannot be paid for. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13. You can go through one of the hardest tests of your life and come out of it with something priceless.
We do not have to go down our trial trails kicking and screaming. If we can look at our lives as if we are here to learn and grow- and everything we go through is meant to better us, our lives will have a completely different meaning. Mistakes are inevitable. What we do with those mistakes is where the hidden secrets are. Are we taking those mistakes and learning from them- and then applying those lessons to our lives or are we using those mistakes to hold us back? Fear of making a mistake can cripple you on your walk with God. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18. There is no way around doing something wrong. God already has a rescue plan when we get stuck or fall. He wants us to fall on Him and use our experience to not get stuck the same way again. And even further, use how He rescued us to help save others. We need to also remember that not everyone wants to be saved or even thinks they need to be rescued. If we jump ship to save someone that wants to drown, we may also be pulled under. It is a painful thing to watch someone self destruct. “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”Proverbs 4:16. There is a line to keep your peace. You can only do so much to help someone that doesn’t want help- that’s where God steps in. That’s where your trust in God takes over. That is the moment where you need to let go and let God move in their life. God always sends us what we need exactly when we need it, we are the ones that ignore it or push it off. Sometimes we have a habit of noticing when someone else isn’t accepting God’s help and judging their path, meanwhile, God is throwing us signs that we ourselves aren’t catching. Each one of us is on a path of our own, sometimes they cross, sometimes they go different ways, and eventually they conclude. But at the end of the day, we are all under the same Son. We’re all walking our way towards home. If we had more compassion and understanding for one another’s paths, our journey would have more substance. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 Don’t take your eyes off of your path. unless it’s to check on your brother or sister. My short comings may be your strengths.
Our world is going through a lot of spiritual turmoil. There are feelings that cannot be explained but are felt by a majority of people. We tend to turn on each other instead of coming together. Pointing the finger instead of holding each other’s hand in times of need and pushing one another down instead of lifting each other up. Everyone is fighting a battle of their own. Most of the time you will not know their battle or come close to understanding it. Compassion fills the gap between judgement and love. You may not agree with the way someone handles a situation- but that may be the only way they know how to. The pain covering our world right now is heavy. Be the person to bring hope. Be someone to encourage a stranger. Be the kind of person that makes other’s light spark again. “Let your light shine before men, that. they may see your good works, and. glorify your Father which is in heaven.”Matthew 5:16. Be full of the love of Jesus, so much so, that it overflows to anyone who is just in the same room as you. If each one of us went out in the world with the mindset of spreading love and light- even to just one person- the whole world could be lit back up again. The power that God gives us is already inside each one of us. We need to fight through our pain and seek to lift others up. Nothing that comes up against us can stop us when we have the power of God flowing through us. Stay vigilant, focus on those around you out of love and compassion and fix your eyes above.