“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
When I was a child and attending St. John’s Lutheran school in Seward, NE we received a plastic reminder to place on our bed stands; it was the words “God is love” in white plastic and they were glued to a brown plastic base. Before going to bed, I would put this object a few inches from my light and then turn out the light and it would glow in the dark…”God is love.” It was a reminder to me, as I was praying and then looking at it before I fell asleep that God loved me. I had that piece of plastic to remind me and the young girl in the attached photo with her finger to her face, that her little Gospel light is shining. She attends Bon Berger Lutheran school in Caredeux which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince.
She learned the “This little Gospel Light of Mine” from a mission team that visited the school and she no doubt still had that light turned on and shining brightly following the earthquake in 2010. Jesus is the light of the world but He also said to us, “You are the light of the world.” Our lights continue to shine His light into the deepest places in this dark world.
We have the ‘light of this world’ and prayerfully we are not hiding it, under a bowl, in a closet or in a hectic life pursuing the ways of this world. Satan would desire us to keep our light under a box and out of sight of others. One of the verses of the song is; “Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.”
Satan may not be able to blow out our light completely, but this world will tell us that our light is offensive to them; therefore we should never put it on display. This fallen world can also tell us that our light will cause others to laugh; therefore we should always keep it hidden. This young girl knows that we can’t put it under or a basket or let Satan blow it out. This little light of mine, I have to let it shine. Thank you for supporting her and the other 664 light houses attending school in Caredeux, who are bringing the light of Jesus Christ into the darkness of this world.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay