Seeking to Become - October 2014

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  

Matthew 5:14-16

Reading these scriptures reminds me of how each of us has the light of Christ within us—including me. Sometimes I let myself forget that I have something, a whole lot of something, to offer the world if I but let my light shine.

I have this problem with self doubt. I see that I am intelligent and interesting and friendly, but somehow I allow myself to get beat down. It's as if I'm blind to what I know to be true. I kid myself into thinking that no one really wants to be my friend, that I bother people all the time, and that I won't ever make a real difference in life. I feel incapable of achieving my goals. I hide my light. When I'm struggling in the darkness of self doubt, the light of those who care about me shows me how wrong I am to indulge in negativity.

Negative thoughts can break even the strongest of individuals. Every day includes a mixture of good and bad in nearly equal measure, which means it is up to us to choose what parts we embrace and cultivate within our lives. I want to overcome my tendency to doubt and learn to let my light shine, to shine so brightly that all who know me will want to let their light shine, too. Oftentimes, life is a series of surprisingly wonderful highs and bitterly disheartening lows. Yet, I believe we can be a light unto all within our reach even amidst those bitter lows. We can share our hope in Christ with the world. As we do so, we will help one another through the trials, lifting when we are strong and proving our faith when we embrace the help of others.

I invite you to join me in seeking the light of Christ by sharing our own light continually, that we may eventually be received into God's eternal light.