Let There Be Light

 "Darkness cannot drive out darkness.  Only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate.  Only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

🕯Ever have one of those days you wish you could start over?  The other morning I noticed that someone had used my debit card to order airline tickets.  It always feels like such a personal infraction in my life when my card has been stolen.  After the panic and anger, the joyful process of calling and cancelling the card begins.  Not a fun way to start the day.  

Headed down the mountain to run errands,  I realized I forgot my phone as I got inside Walmart.  I live a good 20 minutes up the mountain, with a big grocery list (efficiently) on my phone, and was supposed to meet my husband in town for lunch.  Now I don't know about you, but I think I was paralyzed momentarily at the loss of my phone.  

Then my adrenaline started pumping me into action, and the sequence of problem-solving cognitive solutions that fired through my head within a minute was impressive.  Unfortunately, none of those solutions exist anymore in the year 2025.  

🕯And by the way, how many of your family's phone numbers do you have memorized?

Dropped straight down from heaven (I'm convinced) I spied a landline on a lady's desk who was there to do customer taxes at the front of the store.  Are you kidding me?  Problem solved!  I could not have thanked her more.  

Thinking I had conquered the world and was ready to work on the peace accords in the middle east, I triumphantly waltzed into the meat department.  Striking up a conversation with an older gentleman as we were assessing the pork, turns out, we were both going to make green chili and he gave me his secret recipe.  I'm en fuego!!

🕯The checkout person was unbelievably kind and helpful.  Then, out in the parking lot an older person passed, smiled, and wished me a happy day.

Trying to navigate my cart through cars, I helped an older person struggling to get out of their car door because of the carts,  enjoying another sweet conversation.  

🕯In the course of an hour, I went from feeling frantic and wanting to kick myself for being so forgetful, to actually smiling as I got into the car.   After this series of kind interactions, I was ready to tackle world hunger.  

Did you know that science says when we have healthy social interactions with people it increases the levels of serotonin, dopamine and endorphins in our bodies?  These are the chemicals that help us connect with others, decrease our stress and anxiety, make us feel happy, increase our tolerance for discomfort, along with many other benefits.

🕯Isn't it amazing how our small encounters with people throughout the day either add or subtract from our emotional buckets?  When we determine we can't be used by God because of this or that, are we discounting His ability and desire to use us to bless others and share His heart?

I used to think the song "This Little Light of Mine" meant that to be a 'light' in this world you would have to evangelize like the street corner prophet, telling people about heaven and hell.  So my eagerness to share the gospel is sometimes squelched by my self-assessed abilities. 

What about if we just look up from our phones, and start looking for the opportunities to bless others-smile, let them pass or go in front of us, make small talk, offer a hand, slow down a bit, thank someone, notice, compliment, share a laugh. 

Imagine what Christ's heart looked like in the midst of crowds - don't you just think He probably noticed everyone and made eye contact, sincerely taking a second to listen or place His hand on their shoulder, smiling, hugging, being approachable.  

Jesus Teaching People

🕯He wasn't in a hurry to say His thing then get on to the next town.  He wasn't seeing how many He could touch and heal before lunch.  The human side of Him clearly must have been exhausted from the emotional trauma people suffered from, yet He still spoke to the masses.  In fact, in spite of His disciples urging to send them on their way to find food, He instructed them to bring what little food they could find to Him.  He then multiplied it and nourished everyone from it.

God desires to use us where we're at, with what we have, in ways we can't imagine.  When we take ourselves out of interactions with the world because we downplay our abilities, we are focusing on self rather than on who God is and what He can do.  There's not one of us that can't smile, encourage, listen and help.  

"For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the 

Gentiles, that you  may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" Acts 13:47

🕯I have heard that sometimes we may be the only gospel some people see.  What do they learn about Jesus from us if that were the case?

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

🕯Shine.

"Dear Heavenly Father, You created us to reflect You - we have Your Holy Spirit in us to do that.  Make us available, willing and equipped to do that because we aren't always very good at that.  Thank You for being our Father in Heaven that is always with us, going before us to work in people's lives.  Amen.