Shining our lamps

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”

Luke 8:16 (NIV)

Such a simple analogy and yet so worthy of self examination. Is my light hidden in a clay jar or is it shining for others to see?

Jesus spoke about hiding our lamps, so I started thinking of examples of when I covered my lamp, instead of letting it shine. 

For me, waiting is a test of my patience, in so many daily scenarios. So much of life requires waiting for something. We wait for all types of applications to be approved, we wait at traffic lights and in grocery store lines, we wait for responses to our text messages or voicemails, and we wait for our lost loved ones or friends to come to the faith. 

One of my personal frustrations is to encounter a very slow store clerk, when I am really pressed for time. Nothing is more frustrating to me than when a short simple transaction takes much longer than what seems necessary. 

I had one of those days last week. I was in a hurry and the computer system went down, so I had a longer than normal wait in order to receive my receipt. The store clerk finally handed me the receipt smiling and saying thank you. I answered “thank you”, out of habit, but still feeling stressed, I didn’t smile back at her.

After I left, and throughout the day, I kept seeing that clerk’s smiling face in my mind, looking for my smile in response. I felt very guilty for not smiling at her. Although it’s only about a smile, I realized that in that brief moment, I buried my lamp under a clay jar. I felt ashamed and probably made the Lord sad too.

I think most of us would define shining our light, by doing various planned acts of kindness. For most of us, it means sharing the gospel message, giving to charities, serving in church functions, and showing kindness to the sick or needy. Those are deeds we do, in which we can choose the time and the place to do them.  

It’s the unexpected moments that are the most challenging, the things that happen when we are in a hurry, or caught off guard. Some hindrance occurs or a total stranger may come out of nowhere, who really tests our patience. How we respond and shine our light in these unexpected situations, are the tests that truly matter. 

In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25, is the parable of the foolish virgins, where Jesus made it clear that it was up to each virgin to manage their own lamps. In the end, we essentially decide whether we will choose to shine our light, or bury it under a clay jar.

Paul reminds us as believers to be conscious of how we treat strangers. 

He said, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”(Hebrews 13:2)

Wow, so now on top of all these challenging situations, an angel can appear to us as a total stranger? What if that clerk in the store was an angel in disguise, to test my patience and kindness in that moment?

Whether it was an angel or not, I failed the test that day and had to ask forgiveness. With every failure, we return to the throne of grace, where Jesus is ready to forgive and cleanse us. He moves us forward by sending us back into the world, teaching us to do better next time.

We are not shining our light for self promotion, we are shining for Jesus. All of heaven is watching us and rooting for us to succeed. If we keep Paul’s warning close to our heart, knowing that we might possibly be entertaining an angel in disguise, it’s easier to make the right choice and let our light shine. 

I am going to be more intentional about my attitude with everyone, including strangers and slow store clerks. Managing our own lamps means making frequent trips to the throne of grace, because that’s what brings growth.

 Lord, help us not to be caught up in the rush or frustration of each day’s moments, but to shine our light, and  view each challenge as one that is sent from heaven for our good. Amen

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