How to Be the Light Wherever You Are

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

My heart longs for light right now.

It’s easy to let darkness seep in. If I’m not careful, I allow the daily news to cast heavy shadows in my heart. Fearful words blanket a grayness over my spirit. Without thinking, I can indulge in my own critical, negative thinking, convincing myself things are too impossible to solve or too much to ever be fixed. If I am not careful, I stay stuck in the dark.

Or I can stop and consider the light.

I’m not saying deny reality. Things are tough right now. Still, instead of being intentional about focusing on the dark, I can be intentional about shining the light.

Moving from Dark to Light.

The shift in my thinking is barely detectable. Yet it makes all the difference.

I can allow the negativity or I can be a voice of light.

I can succumb to fearful thinking or I can embrace the peace of light.

I can wrap myself in anxiety, or I can walk in trust of the light. Every day and in every moment, I have a choice – I can choose to live in the dark or I can live in the light.

I long to be in the light and to share it without fear.

How Do We Share the Light?

For me, sharing the light is found by doing what’s before me.

Every tiny thing coming across my day is my opportunity to cast a ray of light.

I can rest quietly and invite Christ to fill me with His light.

I can read and study about light in God’s word.

I can listen to lovely, soul-lifting music and let it shape my thoughts.

I can collect goods for people in need from hurricane relief.

I can pray for God's provision of resources, help, and care for those impacted by losses.

I can invite struggling friends and neighbors to go to church with me.

I can take a walk with a friend to pour encouragement into her heart.

I can write personal, handwritten notes to people who God places on my heart, desperately in need of light.

I can offer my hands and feet to serve and help in small ways or big ways, wherever I can.

I can offer gratitude for every good thing, a meal, a warm bed, my home, my family, however imperfect any of those things are.

I can wait with hope knowing the light is on the way.

It’s easy to give in to apathy, overwhelm, fear, and darkness.

With a small shift, I can consider being the light.

Be the Light Right Where You Are.

This week, my encouragement is to consider the idea of light. Find ways to spread His light in meaningful ways with your family. Like the city on a hilltop that can't be hidden described in Matthew 5:14, you have a chance to cast a loving glow. Be the light wherever you are and in whatever ways you can. Today is a beautiful day to share the light.

Today we have a choice to share the light inside each of us.

Go and be the light for a world that desperately needs it.

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