... and I in mine

The world is turning into this ginormous village where we see nearly simultaneously what's happening on the opposite side of the globe - where fewer and fewer places are unseen, unreported.  There is so much suffering in so many places by so many people groups - it's hard to know where to start when the collection plate passes, or when the folks come around canvassing for this or that cause.  

Many people think that unless they do something spectacular or give a lot of money to alleviate hunger or thirst in a third world country, or go on a missions trip to a different continent, that they are not doing what they can.  This kind of thinking is fostered in our global village.  But sometimes in trying not to miss the forest for the trees, we miss the trees for the forest.

I'm not saying that those causes - whatever they are and however noble they are - aren't worthy.  Far from it.  But I am saying that we needn't allow others to make us feel guilty if we DON'T go, if we DON'T give to this or that foreign charity across the ocean.

A friend of mine is raising money for a cause that is near and dear to her - being a cancer survivor and seeing how people spend a lot of money to be near their loved ones through such a tough time, well, she's doing what she can.  Here's her blog post on that.  That's not in a foreign country to her - it's close to home. 

There are dozens of people in my own city who don't have a home.  There are even more - including children - RIGHT HERE - who go to bed hungry.  Who wonder where the next meal is going to come from ... and when.  Who are starting over from scratch, having lost everything to alcohol, to abuse, to debt, to unemployment.  And in this city there are organizations that help such people.  The Food Bank.  "The Upper Room" Soup Kitchen.  The Salvation Army.  Open Door Ministries.  Anderson House.  Talbot House.  Lacey House.  Grandmother's  House.  And that's just within a five-mile radius.  All we need to do is open our eyes and look at our own back yard and there are so many people who need to know someone cares. And speaking of the back yard - what about the person across the fence? next door? down the street?  

I remember singing this little song in Sunday School and the words are just as profound now as they ever were.  It's based on Matthew 5:24: "Let your light so shine among men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."  Here are some of the lyrics:

Found this photo HERE

Jesus bids us shine, with a pure, clear light
Like a little candle burning in the night.
In this world of darkness, so we must shine:
You in your small corner .... and I in mine. 

Jesus bids us shine. Shine - for all around
Many kinds of darkness in this world are found: 
Sin, and want, and sorrow - so we must shine:
You in your small corner ... and I in mine.

And this is the essence of it.  We don't have to make a big splash, or turn everything into a big production.  We just need to find our niche - that place where we can make a difference - and go ahead and do it.  Whether it's seen by the pastor, the prime minister or the pope for that matter - matters not.  Even one candle can dispel the darkness.  Even if it's been dark for a VERY long time. 

Even if we've never dared let our light shine before.  It might flicker - but at least it will light the way for someone who needs it.

Just Be

There is a well known gospel song called The Lighthouse. It talks about Jesus being the lighthouse that rescued the author from the rocks of sin.

Might I suggest that we as Christians are called to be lighthouses too?? The light we shine can point the way to safety - the safety that is in Jesus.

But before we get all hyped up thinking that we have to do the rescuing - let's think about what lighthouses are. I'm talking about manned lighthouses here, the kind we grew up thinking about. They are tall buildings, only wide enough for one person to live. They are located on the edge of the most dangerous shoals, constantly in sight of the rocks that easily could sink a ship. And in themselves, there is absolutely no ability to save those ships.

The saving power comes from the light that's inside.

That light is huge. It is much larger than could ever be useful just to light one building. It is in the uppermost place in the lighthouse. It is so powerful that its candle-power fills the compartment it is housed in, and spills out through the windows to the surrounding waves ... for miles.

The keeper of the lighthouse has two jobs. The first is to make sure that the light is on at all times, even in good weather. The second is to make sure that the windows where the light shines from are completely transparent at all times, so that the light will travel the absolute farthest that it can when it's needed most.

I don't need to draw a diagram here. Our calling as Christians is to make sure the light is on - to let it shine, in other words, and to make sure that there is nothing that hinders His light from shining its brightest. We take care of our responsibility by keeping ourselves in fit spiritual condition, by staying close to God, making sure that there's nothing between us and Him. That comes from being honest with Him and with ourselves. We can even make mistakes. As long as we don't try to hide them, God can even use our mistakes for His glory.

We leave all the results (those rescued by heeding the light, as well as those who see the light and ignore it - to their own hurt) up to the Light of the world - the presence and power of Jesus shining through our lives. To do this, we don't need to DO anything. We just ARE. We ARE ...for Him. Out of that relationship with Him, out of that intimacy with the Almighty, comes an integrity of spirit, an honesty of heart, that is compelling. Truth, transparency, and trust are powerful.

If we could just BE!!

BE - live our lives - toward Him. Give His presence, His love, His power, His mercy, the highest place in our lives - and be ourselves (in Him) before a world that's watching. They can tell a fake a mile away. And they won't be able to see even the strongest light that is masked and dirtied up by hypocrisy and pride blocking its path.
We get so distracted by our "doing." There are lots of people out there "doing." That's all the reward they're going to get - individuals who get on TV or who get some other kind of recognition for the good deeds they do. There's not a whole lot of folks out there "being." "Being" a prayer to God. Not trundling off on this project or that program, "doing." Doing without being produces only one thing: burnout.

Jesus said that when we (truly) believed in Him, out of our innermost BEING would flow rivers of living water. Rivers of gratitude, of love, of joy, of peace, spilling out of our lives and producing the kind of "doing" that is authentic, based on relationship and not duty.

Let's just be - and let His glorious light shine through...