shadow

Blindness

Let It Shine!: I’m Not Blind

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“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” 

The words of this children’s gospel song, written in 1920 by Avis Burgeson Christiansen, are simple and their message far reaching. What child hasn’t sung it? What adult doesn’t remember it?

But the more important question: do we hold true to its mission?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” 

Matthew 5:16, KJV

 

I’m Not Blind

Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 

Ephesians 5:14–16, NIV

Shine,_Day_2,_Photo_1Construction workers removed the pews from our church sanctuary and placed them in the fellowship hall, where our worship services would be held during the renovation. On the first Sunday in our new surroundings, I opened my hymnal to sing and realized I could see the words of the song without my glasses. Moving from a dimly lit sanctuary to the fluorescent lights of the fellowship hall not only made a difference in my ability to see the words on the page, it brought revelation to my spirit. After we sang, I took my seat in the pew and thought:  I’m not blind; I’ve just been sitting in the dark.

God has gifted our bodies and our spirits with the amazing ability to adapt to our environments and our circumstances. But with the ability to adapt comes the danger of being desensitized to the darkness and needs around us. The longer we remain in a dark room, the easier it is to function, but it’s not the darkness that changes―only our perception of it.

Today’s text sounds the alarm and beckons believers to wake up, to step into the light of God’s Son, and to take advantage of the opportunities we have to make an impact for Christ in a lost and hurting world.

John 8 gives the account of a blind man whose friends believed that a touch from Jesus would restore his sight. When they heard Jesus was passing through their town, they dropped what they were doing and led their friend to Him. They pleaded with Jesus on his behalf.

They begged Him to touch their friend and restore his sight. Jesus responded to their faith with compassion by reaching out, touching the blind man’s eyes, and freeing him from his prison of darkness.

Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we are set free from our prisons of sin and darkness. God’s Word now serves as “a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path” (Psalm 119:105). In response, we’re called to be guides―a support system for those still struggling to break free. Through prayer, we have the awesome privilege of being their voice and their transport. Spiritually, we can escort them into the presence of Jesus and by faith plead for their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Christ will hear our prayers and respond to them with compassion.

Is someone you know sitting in darkness today? Don’t turn a blind eye to their need. Be a light in their darkness and bring them to Jesus―the Restorer of Light and Life.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

John 8:12, NIV

Let it shine,

Starr

Let It Shine!: Color My World

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 “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” 

The words of this children’s gospel song, written in 1920 by Avis Burgeson Christiansen, are simple and their message far reaching. What child hasn’t sung it? What adult doesn’t remember it?

But the more important question: do we hold true to its mission?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16, KJV

 

Color My World

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” 

John 12:35-36, NIV

Shine,_Day_1,_Photo_1In 1961, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color premiered on television. Founder and creative genius Walt Disney opened the color broadcast with these words: “The world we live in would look pretty dull if Mother Nature used a black and white palette and painted only in shades of gray.” But while some viewers watched the show in Technicolor, our home—along with a majority of others—continued to watch in black and white. Though color was available, we remained locked in worlds of gray.

I was surprised to learn from a website about blindness that some who are blind, if given the opportunity to see, wouldn’t trade their worlds of darkness for a world of sight.

One man stated, “I’ve been blind since birth, and I can honestly say that the thought of suddenly getting the vision I’ve never had would scare me to death. I don’t know if I could make the adjustment. I’m secure in my blindness.”Shine,_Day_1,_Photo_2

Another said, “If I could have surgery that would give me sight, I wouldn’t do it. I’m happy with me and who I am. As a totally blind person, I function well. I just wouldn’t want to start over.”

For these individuals, the fear of change is greater than the fear of darkness.

Those of us who can see find it hard to comprehend how anyone could acclimate themselves to a world of darkness, but in reality, we have. We’ve conditioned our minds, hardened our hearts, and closed our eyes to the moral decay of our society. Sin that once shocked us now mocks us. Actions once forbidden now strut unhidden. Laws once protected now are rejected―masked in a smokescreen of tolerance and inclusion.

As today’s text reveals, two days before His death on the cross, Jesus warned of the peril that would befall those who chose to walk in darkness. Rejecting Him and the light of His Word would result in spiritual blindness and death. It was a harsh truth then and remains a harsh truth now.

However, in Christ’s love and mercy, He followed His solemn warning with liberating words of hope for us all. The Light of the World is still with us and is available for all of humanity. By believing in Jesus, we can all become children of light. No one needs to remain locked in a world of gray.

Don’t permit your fear of change to be greater than your fear of darkness. Color your world with light and rejoice in this truth: The darker the night, the brighter the children of light.

Let it shine!

Starr