You Are The Light Of The World

You are the light of the world

like a city on a hilltop that cannot

be hidden. No one lights a lamp and

then hides it under a basket.

The lamp is placed on a stand so

it can give light to everyone in

the house.   In the same way let

your light shine before others

Matthew 5

At midnight in prison.....

after being stripped and beaten with rods and put into stocks....

Paul and Silas were praying and

singing hymns to God,

 and the other prisoners

we're listening to them.

Acts 16

Like Paul and Silas,

we are light and Truth

to the world we live in.

Our response to hatred and pain

is to find our own way of glorifying

our Savior in the midst of trouble.

Notice that after the pain of 

being severely beaten and bound

in stocks, their response was to

pray together and sing hymns to God.

It doesnt say how long it took

their hearts and minds to settle into a

place of worship in the midst of

such pain and confinement.

Were there tears first?

Did they need time to adjust

an angry heart and mind to accept

this situation?

It doesn't say if they struggled 

with any emotions before they

began to pray and worship God.

I remember Paul saying that

he had learned the secret of being 

content in any and every situation.

Philippians 4

We don't know exactly the 

process God used in Paul's life

to help him in this learning process.

How does one come to a place

of being content and praising God

in the midst of such abuse and pain?

I know it starts by having

seasons of tears and suffering,

and reaching out to Him in the pain.

We learn to pick up the

cross and carry it by doing just that.

We are given an impossible task

and we learn to do the impossible

in His strength.

Carrying our cross is awkward

and unfamiliar when we first pick 

the unwanted thing up.

We carry it stumbling and mumbling.

In time, we adjust to it's bulk.

We find ways to bear the cross

more gracefully and without as 

much agony of heart and mind.

As we carry the cross

we become stronger.

It's burden is lighter.

We learn to endure with grace.

Through the years

we learn to pick up each cross 

 without hesitating as much.

In time we learn to boldly

walk toward the cross

knowing the Lord's strength 

will carry us and endure with us.

We begin to lose our fear of the cross.

Those on the outside are aware

that we are learning how  to manage

and carry crosses while still praising God.

We are learning to bear the cross

with songs at midnight.

Our light is shining before men.

We are lighting the way in darkness.

Is there anything warmer

than light in the midst of darkness?

We are the light.

It's getting darker.

We are here to bring this light,

 hope and joy

to a world in need.

May all who come behind us

find us faithful.