This Little Light of Mine

In Psalms 56 it states, “For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

God’s sweet grace has not only delivered our souls from death but has also provided the way for us to walk in the light of life.

Through His salvation Isaiah 9:2 states that “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”

God has given us the gift of light in the midst of this dark world. He has provided us a light so we can overcome the darkness that is all around us.

Then in Isaiah 49:6 God states “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

God has given us the gift of light. Light that will not only lead us in the ways of the Lord but will also lead others to the Lord.

Recently, I have moved back to my hometown after living in Dahlonega for two years. As I have started to get back to my home church, individuals will mention how I am a light. People have used me as an example for others to follow because I have that “radiant” light that we as Christians are supposed to have. People can tell that I have Jesus in my life, you do not have to ask, you just know.

Although those comments are sweet…this is so far from where I actually am!

I can say that right before I moved away, I was at the highest point I have ever been in my spiritual walk. I probably was that “radiant” light that people mentioned. I was a good example to follow.

I can say this because now in my current relationship with God, I look back to the girl that was a radiating light and long for that daily. I am not what I use to be. My light is not shining as bright as it once was.

So why is this?

What comes to my mind when someone say’s “shine your light,” is a lightbulb. When you look at a lightbulb that has no lampshade around it, the light is very bright. It is shining at its full brightness. But when you put the lampshade over it, the light becomes dimmer. When I think of our spiritual light, we have the potential of shining at the maximum brightness or we can allow a shade to dim our light. When I say shades, I am referring to anything that distracts us from shining at our full capacity. This can be any worldly distractions from school, work, social media to drinking, seductive relationships, or partying. Literally any worldly thing that is apart from God is a shade over our lightbulb. The more and more we participate in these things, the more and more shades go over our light, and the dimmer our light becomes.

For me, I have allowed some of these things to become shades over my light. I have allowed worldly things to overpower my light which is not only hindering my relationship with Jesus, but it is hindering me from spreading the Light of Life to others.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10

When these shades build up over my light, my relationship with God gets weaker and weaker. Like 1 John says, “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” Our fellowship with Jesus begins to suffer and our lives begin to not match the truth of the light. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” When our light becomes consumed with darkness, our path can begin to get unclear.

So how do we get our light back?

We have to remove the shades.

We have to get rid of what is blocking the light from coming through. We have to begin to focus on what can allow us to shine brighter and less on what makes the light dim.

If you read the latter half of 1 John 5 it says, if we confess our sins, he will forgive us and purify us. When I read this, I think of a fresh start. A renewal of our light. If we confess of the things that are covering our light, we can become purified. Cleaned of the darkness and renewed with a fresh bright light.

If you are like me and are struggling or have struggled with covering your light with things of the world, pray out this verse.

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light” Psalm 18:28. Ask God to keep your light bright, to turn the darkness that is covering your light into light itself.

-H