Even a Little Light

We've all heard about the speed of light, but as my friend Kyle Bowen asked once, what's the speed of dark?  Darkness is just the absence
of light, and it only takes a little light to conquer the darkness.  Light a match or turn on a flashlight in a dark room, and suddenly what's around me becomes visible even in that small amount of light.  What was a threat, in the darkness, becomes helpful instead.  The chair I was about to trip over becomes a place to rest.  I can grasp and drink the glass of water on the kitchen counter instead of knocking it over. 

We can shine light into the lives of others and have a huge helpful effect.  In Ephesians 5:8, Paul tells us "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!"  That light from God, as he tells us in verse 9, produces "only what is good and right and true."  But like me, you may be thinking of all the reasons we don't believe that our light is good enough or is having the right effect or why God can't use our light because it isn't, well, 'whatever' enough.  Our objections don't recognize the power of the God who is himself Light and Life, to be light in us. 

A few quick ideas to help us live confidently as light: 

• We may think we're not producing much light, but it only takes a teeny bit to conquer the darkness. 
• Others see our light a lot more positively than we do. 
• It's not our light anyway, but the light of Jesus in us. 
• It's our job just to be the light God made us in Christ.  It's God's job to create the results.  
• When somebody compliments you on your light, point to the Light-giver.

 Wherever you are, there is some darkness that needs light.  Let it shine today!