Let it Shine

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." - Matthew 5:14


We've all heard that before. And most of us know what it means. It means that a city on top of a hill has a light that can be seen for miles. No matter how hard you try to hide it, you can't. Even the darkest night cannot hide the light from that city.

But there's another way to think about a city on a hill. When you are that high up, you can also see for miles around you. You can see way better from there than from the bottom of a hill.

Well, about three weeks ago, I got to experience that first hand. I was sitting in a city at the top of a mountain. From where I sat, I could see the city of Kingston, Jamaica miles below. As it was every night that week, the view was beautiful. At first, a few rows of lights came on. The further the sun sank behind the mountains, the more the city below lit up. As I looked at that beautiful view, I noticed something.

It always happens in movies. One light in the house comes on, and a few seconds later, every other light in the house follows. Or one house lights up, and the next thing you know, the whole neighborhood is lit up. Something I know I have never thought about is that there's only one way for an audience of a movie to know those lights are on. The windows can't be covered. They have to be open for the light to be seen.

That is the job we as Christians have. There is a Light in our life that shines brighter than anything else in the world. It shines even brighter than the sun. It eliminates any trace of darkness. It wipes away pain, sorrow and suffering. The Light exposes sin so that it can be washed away. The Light shines down, illuminating the path we should take. This Light can do the same for anyone who will turn it on in their own lives.

Yet so many Christians try to hide it. I know I have. Yes, most people who know me know that I'm a Christian. They know I go to church. Most of my friends know that I really like my church and my campus ministry. They know I absolutely love Jesus. And if they know me well enough, they probably know that I could suggest a church or two in LA, Houston, Sydney, London, NYC, Branson, Fort Worth and even New Orleans. (Mind you, I've only been to two of those cities, and only been to church in one of them.) But I've still tried to hide that Light.

You see. I'm a journalism student. At what is probably the best journalism school in the world (without bias; if I was going to be biased, I'd say it is for sure the best). Journalists are supposed to remain objective. Journalists are supposed to report without bias. So I tried to keep my faith out of anything related to my classes in the School of Journalism (which was just flat out dumb since my faith is the entire reason I'm in the j-school). The thing is, my beliefs are the central part of who I am. Saying they don't effect my writing would be a flat out lie. And I've realized in the last few months, that no matter how hard I try, I can't do that. For one, I can't hide who I am, especially now that I am truly in love with my Creator. And for another, trying to pretend that my faith won't affect my writing would not be transparent (something else a journalist is supposed to be).

But if I quit trying to hide it, if I let the Light shine out of me.

The results are good. No, they're so amazing that only God can really understand how good they are.

You see. When people accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, it is like they flip a light switch in their lives. They can see much more clearly where they need to go. They can see anything that might hurt them and avoid it. And they can see the things and the people that will help them get where they need to go. But people around them still can't see.

That's why they need to open the window. That's why they need to share the Light in their lives. Of course, for the people on the outside, it's not quite as bright as it is inside yet. There are still shadows because the Source of Light in not in their lives yet. But they can see well enough to find that Source, to flip the light switch in their own lives. Sure, they might still trip over some things hiding in the shadows, but they'll get there eventually. They'll find the Source, flip the switch and all shadows in their lives will be gone.

Here's where it gets really good. When they do that, the Light will reach farther than it did with only one person's light shining. Even more people will be able to find their way to the Source of light and accept Him. It starts an irreversible trend.

That's what our lives should look like. That's what I'm working on making mine look like (even in the j-school). It's hard. I'll be honest. For me, it requires reversing a pattern I've been stuck in since my freshman year in high school of people knowing I'm a Christian but not knowing any more than that. It takes work. It requires letting the Light infiltrate every tiny bit of your life. Then letting the Light lead you to the window so you can look out and see a hurting world that needs the Light you have. Then choosing to share the Light.

We are that city on a hill. Because so many people can see the Light in us, that many more people are able to find the Source of light in their own lives. It's not just that people can see the Light in us no matter what. It's that our Light really cannot be hidden. If it is, other people will remain in darkness.

But here's the really cool part.

When we are that city on a hill, we get more than just the visibility. We get the view. We get to watch as the Light we let shine out of our lives affects the people we touch. We get to watch as first one light, then another, then another, then another... We get to watch as all those lights come on.

And the view is breathtaking.

I Receive Your Love

I like learning about love. It never ends. The more I learn about it, the more I realize how much I have to learn though. It is so hard to fully grasp love. But God keeps helping me understand more of it each day.

Love is two sided. We receive love so much better when we give it in return. Pouring love out on other people opens room in our hearts to receive it. We have to be open to receiving that love. It cannot just be an obligation. Being open to love shows other people how much you love them. Then they are open to receive love from you in return.

It is the same way with God.

We can ask God to show us His love all we want. But the thing is, He already did on the cross at Calvary. Until we show Him that we have received that love by giving Him our love, our hearts are not yet open to receive any more. Once we pour love and adoration out on Him, we give Him more room to flood us with His love. So He does.

There is something else about it being the same with God. Our hearts and our lives can be full of God too. When they are full of love, they are really full of God because God is love. They can be so full of God that we pour Him and His love out on others. When we do that, He is always there, ready to refill us because He knows we will share His goodness. 

Receive love. Give love. Receive more love.

Receive God. Give God. Receive more of God.

It's really that simple.

Lord of the Dance

Imagine you are at a ball. You know? Those old-fashioned dances that even the slow dances have actual steps. Picture yourself at one of those.

As the music plays, you sit there. At first, you just watch. But as time goes on, you want to be a part of the dance too. Just sitting and watching isn't enough. So you get up to dance. But this isn't a dance you can do by yourself. You'll fall if you don't have a partner. So you search for a partner.

You find someone, but all they want to do is follow you. And you don't know the steps, so you still can't dance. All you have is you and your partner standing there, looking confused and not going anywhere.

So you find a partner who knows how to dance. There's only one problem. This partner is great at leading you... in the wrong steps. It seems like you're always running into people who know the right steps or tripping over yourself so you don't run into them.

You decide to leave partner number two and try again. Partner number three seems perfect. They know all the right steps. They even know the words to say. But then they get distracted just when they're supposed to catch you. You fall to the floor.

You're about to give up. You've tried every kind of partner you can think of. And they all failed - miserably. You're hurt. You're tired. You're more lost and confused than you were when you started.

That's when you feel a tap on your shoulder. You look up. A hand is held out to you. Two eyes full of love look down at you. "Can I have this dance?'

You sit there for a second wondering what to say. You want to join the dance, but you've already tried so many times. You don't want to end up hurt or lost again. Eventually you make a decision. Slowly, you place your hand in the one held out to you. You allow the one holding out that hand to pull you back onto the dance floor and lead you in the most beautiful dance you've ever been a part of.

Now think about this. God is the one asking you, "Can I have this dance?"

I've had this analogy running through my mind recently of life being like a ball. The things going on around you are the music. They determine what kind of dance you should be doing. You can choose anyone or anything to be your partner, but only one partner knows the right steps, and that partner is God. Unlike other partners, you don't have to search Him out. Instead, He waits until you're ready and comes to you, hands outstretched, asking, "Can I have this dance?"

Accepting God's invitation to dance with Him takes trust. And a lot of it. You have to trust that He knows the right steps to take. You have to trust that He will tell you when to take those steps. Plus you actually have to follow Him for it to do any good.

But more than anything, you have to trust His love. You have to trust that He loves you so much He would never lead you the wrong way. You have to trust that He loves you so much He would never let You fall. On top of trusting your plans to Him, you have to trust your heart in His hands.

That kind of trust can be hard, especially for people who have been hurt before. It takes a lot of courage to give your heart to someone once it's already broken. But God is worthy of that trust.

He's the one who helps heal that hurt. He's the one who knows how to mend a broken heart. He is real love. Love that never stops, never lets go and can never fail. He gives love that can cast away all fear - the fear of rejection, of being hurt again. His love casts out fear and brings renewed trust.

But He can't do that unless You accept His invitation to dance. It's about letting Him into your life. It's about learning to love Him. It's about letting Him lead you. It's about learning to trust Him. It's about learning to trust His love.

Like any dance, life has more than one step. The most important step in this dance is accepting God's invitation to dance. Once you accept His invitation He will show you the rest of the steps. Every day is a new song to learn the dance to. So every day you have to say yes to God and follow His lead.

When you say yes, it frees you because you are so focused on Him that you don't care what people around you think. It frees you because you know you're not making the wrong move. It makes you feel secure and protected because His arms are around you and your hands are in His. You feel loved because you are.

Today, and every day from now on, I want to say yes to God. I want to accept His invitation to dance. I hope you will join me and make Him the Lord of your dance as well.