In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4-5)
During yesterday’s sermon–which begins a series on the Gospel of John, our pastor pointed out that light and life are closely related. He went on to reference Matthew 5:14-16 when Jesus said,
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (emphasis added)
That moment in the service resonated with me because I believe writing is one way that Jesus wants me to let my light shine before others. And why does he want us to let our light shine? “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Rather humbling, that. Me? give glory to my Father who is in heaven? And my response is the same as Peter (when he was still Simon),
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5)
Because Jesus says so, I will write. However, writing is not the only work to which He has called me. As His disciple, I’m also a wife, mother and homemaker. My twitter profile says
Disciple, Wife, Mother, Reader, Writer, COO – Character Development Lab, Homemaker (sorta! bwahahahaha)
It’s really easy for me to ignore my husband and children when I get overly focused on reading and writing. Notice that bwahahahaha? Yeah, that’s because I can get so wrapped up in writing that our home looks like this:
Disciple, Wife, Mother, Writer, Homemaker–I’m to let my light shine in all of these overlapping layers of my life.
Yesterday was also Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. In church, we were shown this powerful video celebrating life:
(video courtesy of Focus on the Family)
Light and Life are closely related in the Bible. Jesus is the source of both Light and Life. I will nurture, protect and celebrate the life He gives. I will let shine the light He gives.