This Little Light Of Mine
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” NKJV
In the basement of Baptist Hospital in Columbia, I was given a piece of paper that told me what things I could and could not do for the next ten days. I was there for my radioactive iodine treatment following my Thyroid cancer surgery. The words on the page were not merely guidelines, they were rules. I had to sign the page stating that I had read the rules and I would abide by them. If I could not do that, I would have to be admitted to the hospital.
Then I was led down a hall to a room where I would receive my treatment. It was a small pill, in a pill bottle much like you would get from the pharmacy. But this bottle was enclosed in a lead container. I quickly took the pill and at that point, for the next ten days I would have to obey the rules. Why? Because, I was radioactive. The pill that would help me, could cause others harm.
During this time, I was not allowed to be around any one person for more than one hour a day. And even then, I needed to stay at least three feet away at all times. And it was during this time when the verse quoted above came to my mind.
You see, believers, we are spiritually radioactive. We have God’s light inside us, shining out to a lost and dying world. And the brightness of that light is totally contingent on you. Jesus’ command was to let your light shine in such a way that when people saw you living your faith, they would give God the glory.
One other thing God impressed upon me during this time. I could not choose when I was radioactive. I couldn’t get up one day, and say, “I don’t feel like being radioactive today, I am going to go and hug my children and kiss my wife”. That was not an option. No, I had to be keenly aware at all times who was around me and what was going on. I had to remember the things I touched and handled. For the first 48 hours I used the erasers on pencils to turn the pages in my Bible so as to not contaminate it.
In the same way, we as believers in Christ cannot choose when we are giving off our light. We cannot say, “I don’t feel like being a Christian today. I want to say whatever I want, do whatever I want. Besides, I am only hurting myself.” Not true, people see. People watch. People are looking for the light. How bright is yours?
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