Shining Our Light

             “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 4:14-16)

 

            Sometimes, the “salt and light” bit gets a little misguided. It’s easy to think that because we’re salt and light, we’re special somehow. Neither salt nor light create themselves or any of their attributes, of course, so there’s nothing for us to be proud of, but we seem quick to twist the meaning anyway.

            As I considered the idea of being light, one of the things that came to mind was that if you look into the sun for any length of time, you’ll damage your eyes. If you look at a light, it really doesn’t do you any good. The point of light is not really the light itself. The point is what the light shines on – what it reveals and what it warms.

            So when we “let our lights shine” the idea that it is shining on us is like saying that a spotlight shines on itself. The whole purpose of a light is to glorify something else. The purpose of our light is to illuminate our good works so that God is glorified.

            Lord, help us to turn from the folly of trying to sine our light on ourselves and to shine in such a way that we glorify You