A Candle in the Window
Jesus said,
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14)
Our world is dark, no question, and we have plenty of opportunity to shine for Christ. I love the picture He uses in this passage to illustrate just how visible we should be.
As a teen, I caught my first glimpse of Seattle as we made an early-morning airport run. It was still pitch dark out, and I had never seen so many lights all at once! It was a spectacular sight, even from the freeway, miles away. Seeing all that light after hours of driving along the dark freeway was so refreshing!
But imagine with me a city, way up on a hilltop and filled with lights, as Seattle was that dark morning. The city shines so brightly, and gleams so warmly, we can't help but be drawn to it. The thought of reaching the city and living life enfolded by that hopeful brightness inspires us to begin to walk towards it.
Now, imagine that the power goes out suddenly. The city is plunged into darkness, and from our view in the valley, it looks like the city has completely disappeared. There is now nothing but darkness, and however much we strain our eyes to discern the city against the skyline, we cannot. It seems as if the entire city has been wiped off the face of the earth, and we feel that the warmth and brightness we sought has been irretrievably lost.
We stand still for a while, wondering what to do next. Then, someone at the edge of town puts a single candle in their window. From deep in the valley, we look up and wonder: is that really a light? It flickers and glows a little stronger. Yes, now we can tell that there is light up there. It's not just a trick of the eye. The flicker we see is the flicker of a candle, and somewhere behind that candle is a person —a person who is not fumbling around in the darkness, but sitting in the warm glow of the candle's light while the darkness covers everywhere else.
With so much darkness around us, it can be easy to feel like there's been a major power outage. But the truth is, we are not a power grid to be shut off, but a collection of individual candles, each one carefully shielded from the world's attempts to blow it out.
The world's counterfeit sources of light: prosperity, health, wealth, peace, and safety have all become widely unpredictable this year. It's as if 2020 has pulled the plug on everything the world was working towards. There is widespread darkness, hopelessness, and fear.
But just as a single candle burning in a window can be seen further the darker it gets, just one Christian walking in the light can make a difference. Look what Jesus says:
"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (5:15-16)
Our light doesn't just illumine our own life, it lights the way for others, drawing the weary ones in the valley to the bright and hopeful glow of Christ.
So, even when it feels like yours is the only window in the city with a candle shining, remember that even one can make a difference.
"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" I John 1:5