How Bright Is Your Light?

How Bright Is Your Light?

“When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.””

‭‭John‬ ‭11:4‬

Why is it that we always focus on the negative?  Well maybe not always, but mostly, or even more occasionally than not. 

My wife is great at being positive. Me, on the other hand, I’m always a glass less full kind of guy. I see the negative potential in most things and think most bad things are going to happen, even if they don’t. But this isn’t the way God wants us to think, behave or even respond. God wants us to see the good in people and in our situations and He wants our light to shine so that it will bring glory to Him. 

Yesterday while traveling together on the interstate, my wife and I were talking and out of nowhere a car almost crashed into us.  I swerved to the right, into the grass and back on the highway. My first emotion was anger, then relief. My wife immediately responds with, “God was looking out for us”. 

Her response humbled me immediately and brought me back into reality. It should’ve been the way I responded, but I didn’t. And then I remembered the verse above.

During my darkness, my wife was my light and her light brought glory to God - immediately. 

When Lazarus died, Mary and Martha were sad and they believed that if Jesus was there, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. They saw the negative in front of them and focused more on their loss and their frustration, then they did on Jesus.  

They had faith in Jesus, but it wouldn’t shine through as long as they focused on the negative. And the negative they were focused on, was created by them. 

There was no loss. Lazarus would be in Heaven. But Mary and Martha couldn’t see that.  Even the disciples questioned Jesus as to why He was taking so long or why He would go back to a place where people wanted to kill Him. A lack of faith can dim our light. 

We should focus on how we can bring glory to God, through every situation and circumstance. Even the most troubling ones.   

Yesterday during that brief moment, I was angry, frustrated and bitter. And as soon as my wife said, “God was looking out for us”, I was humbled. She was right. And her statement to me brought God glory. She knew the only reason that the other car didn’t careen into us, was because God was with us.  My driving skill didn’t save us. It wasn’t luck. God gave me every single ability I have. And for that moment, I used them, because He gave them to me and because He was there.  But I didn’t glorify Him. 

I didn’t let the light of God shine through me in that moment. Sure, I responded better than I would have in the past. I didn’t chase the car down and exact my revenge on the person driving.  I wanted to.  I wanted to curse and yell and mash my foot on the accelerator - but God has done some work in me. 

Although I’m better than I used to be, I’m not quite there yet. We all have more work to do. We are all still being refined and repurposed.   And even though I didn’t respond quite the way I wanted to, I was amazed at my wife letting her light shine through. 

It isn’t always about what God is doing in us. Sometimes it’s what God is doing in others around us, because of us, or because of what they are letting God do in them. 

There is darkness all around us and we are called, by God, to let our light shine in that darkness. 

“Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.””

‭‭John‬ ‭11:9-11‬

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:16‬