Let Your Light Shine
I hate public facilities (I’m a snob like that). So I was not really pleased with my doctor when he said I should meet him at the nearby public hospital instead of his consultation rooms in a different town. He was saving me the toil of driving (and petrol) but it was really hard appreciating it as I sat on a bench squeezed in between an old lady with a knitting kit that was almost on my lap and another big lady with a bad cough. I moved from one station to another until I got to my final destination, yet another bench in front of the doctor’s room.
There were only a few of us on this one so I could at least breathe, thank God. I said my greetings and took a seat next to a young girl who looked a few years my junior. I kept to myself as I whined and complained in my head. I had my phone out, texting and working. I started hearing strained moaning. I told myself to mind my own business. Then came the sniffling. I could no longer act invisible. I put my phone away and took tissues from my handbag and handed it over to her. I didn’t have to ask what was wrong, I knew she was in pain, I knew the pain. I started talking to her, all while I knew at the back of my head (or the front of my heart) I should be praying for her. I kept thinking, ‘not in this crowed place, what will people say? I don’t even know her, she might not even like the idea, we’re not all Christian out here…’
So in between listening to her explain her pain, when it started, and how she was out of pain killers, another tissue being handed out; I did it, I asked her if I could pray for her. She said yes. I laid my hands on her and prayed for her. I was no longer bothered what those who sat next to us would say, all I cared was that this girl be relieved from her pain. After I prayed for her she sat up, stopped crying, and we had a conversation.
The story of her life is probably one of the saddest I’ve heard. And as I listened, I sat there thinking how self-obsessed I was. So consumed in my own world, I nearly failed to recognize and reach out to one having it harder than I. I quickly wrote my number on another piece of tissue and handed it to her as she went in to see the doctor.
I thought of Joseph as I walked through the corridors on my way out. He’d been through hell to say the least. Hated by his brothers, sold into slavery by people who were supposed to protect him and now jailed for a crime he didn’t commit. He was justified to be absorbed in misery, consumed in his misfortune, but in the midst of all his afflictions, Joseph still had time to show concern for others.
“When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” Genesis 40:6-8
What enabled Joseph to be this way was his relationship with God. Though Joseph was in prison, he was in position. That is the difference when children of God go through difficulties. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that when we’re tempted, God is faithful to provide a way out for us so that we can stand up under it. Even though we might be experiencing difficulty, we are standing up under it, not subdued under it. This explains why while others were killed by the fire, the three young men of Daniel 3 walked in it. God makes all the difference.
This was the case with Joseph. God was with him and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden, hence he was put in charge of the prison though a prisoner himself. These two prisoners were under his care that’s why he took notice of them. So though he was in an unfavourable situation, he was on assignment. When they tell him about their dilemma, he again relies on his relationship with God to help them. He knows God’s power and ability and he allows himself to be the channel through which it flows. That’s what being a light and salt of the world is all about. It’s not about being perfect, or always having it all together, but it’s about holding on to God in tough times and sharing with others the life He gives you. This is exactly what Peter means when he says “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you” in Acts 3:6.
Reaching out to the world is a whole lot easier when we don’t do it out of ourselves but rather out of the strength we have through knowing and being in communion with God. So remember to be kind because everyone is going through something, and shine your light while you at it, you never know the difference it can make.
There were only a few of us on this one so I could at least breathe, thank God. I said my greetings and took a seat next to a young girl who looked a few years my junior. I kept to myself as I whined and complained in my head. I had my phone out, texting and working. I started hearing strained moaning. I told myself to mind my own business. Then came the sniffling. I could no longer act invisible. I put my phone away and took tissues from my handbag and handed it over to her. I didn’t have to ask what was wrong, I knew she was in pain, I knew the pain. I started talking to her, all while I knew at the back of my head (or the front of my heart) I should be praying for her. I kept thinking, ‘not in this crowed place, what will people say? I don’t even know her, she might not even like the idea, we’re not all Christian out here…’
So in between listening to her explain her pain, when it started, and how she was out of pain killers, another tissue being handed out; I did it, I asked her if I could pray for her. She said yes. I laid my hands on her and prayed for her. I was no longer bothered what those who sat next to us would say, all I cared was that this girl be relieved from her pain. After I prayed for her she sat up, stopped crying, and we had a conversation.
The story of her life is probably one of the saddest I’ve heard. And as I listened, I sat there thinking how self-obsessed I was. So consumed in my own world, I nearly failed to recognize and reach out to one having it harder than I. I quickly wrote my number on another piece of tissue and handed it to her as she went in to see the doctor.
I thought of Joseph as I walked through the corridors on my way out. He’d been through hell to say the least. Hated by his brothers, sold into slavery by people who were supposed to protect him and now jailed for a crime he didn’t commit. He was justified to be absorbed in misery, consumed in his misfortune, but in the midst of all his afflictions, Joseph still had time to show concern for others.
“When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” Genesis 40:6-8
What enabled Joseph to be this way was his relationship with God. Though Joseph was in prison, he was in position. That is the difference when children of God go through difficulties. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that when we’re tempted, God is faithful to provide a way out for us so that we can stand up under it. Even though we might be experiencing difficulty, we are standing up under it, not subdued under it. This explains why while others were killed by the fire, the three young men of Daniel 3 walked in it. God makes all the difference.
This was the case with Joseph. God was with him and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden, hence he was put in charge of the prison though a prisoner himself. These two prisoners were under his care that’s why he took notice of them. So though he was in an unfavourable situation, he was on assignment. When they tell him about their dilemma, he again relies on his relationship with God to help them. He knows God’s power and ability and he allows himself to be the channel through which it flows. That’s what being a light and salt of the world is all about. It’s not about being perfect, or always having it all together, but it’s about holding on to God in tough times and sharing with others the life He gives you. This is exactly what Peter means when he says “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you” in Acts 3:6.
Reaching out to the world is a whole lot easier when we don’t do it out of ourselves but rather out of the strength we have through knowing and being in communion with God. So remember to be kind because everyone is going through something, and shine your light while you at it, you never know the difference it can make.
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Beautiful.
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