When Your Light is Dim
- Tina Punneo
- Nov 5, 2019
- 2 min read
We are told in God's Word to let our light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matt. 5:15). But, what do we do if our light doesn't feel so bright on certain days, when we don't have the strength to shine? On these days I feel like a failure, like I feel like a slacker, but I feel like I just don't have a flicker of light in me to give sometimes. The gas to burn the lamp is almost out and is barely keeping my own room lit, let alone enough light to let mankind see the glory of God.
There is a solution to this in the Scriptures.
One solution is to seek the Lord. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says, "Seek the Lord and His strength, Seek His face evermore!" On those days that we don't have enough to strength of our own, God says to seek His strength. Let Him be your strength for you.
Solution two is to wait on the Lord. In Isaiah we read, "those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) Sometimes the waiting can be draining, but we don't have to let it if we are waiting in the Lord. In waiting with the Lord we find peace as we trust Him for His perfect timing.
Last but not least, come to Jesus and learn from Him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30). Come to Jesus and let Him be the power behind your strength, the fuel to keep your light burning. In the rest and waiting you will find the strength you need to keep going.
Here's the thing, when you're seeking, waiting on God and learning from Jesus you are still bringing glory to God. It's not the amount of light that you produce that brings the glory, it's all about the source. A gas or electric light may light a room, but it's backed by the power of gas or electricity. God provides our light that we can, in turn, use to bring glory back to Him.
Even with that flicker of light that may be all that we have to give today, we can still use it to bring glory to God if we are shining with the help of the ultimate source of light, Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus says he is the light of the world (John 8:12).
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