In the previous post I mentioned how we are the salt of the earth, the attributes of salt and an encouragement to spread our salt to someone else. In this post I would like to piggy back off that with part 2 of the Sermon on the Mount passage in Matthew 5 and it is found in verses 14-16: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Dictionary.com has several definitions of light
- something that makes things visible or affords illumination
- a device for or means of igniting, as a spark, flame, or match
I'd like to talk about 5 primary properties of Light and how they can apply to us spiritually.
I) Light overtakes darkness Suppose you walk into your bedroom with all the lights out. You flip the light switch and what happens... the room instantly becomes light with no sign of any darkness. Remember back at creation when The earth was completely darkened and God said "Let there be light" and there was light and no more darkness. The light completely engulfed the previous darkness. In 1 Corinthians 4:5 the Bible says "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God." When God brings the hidden things to light, there is no more darkness to cover them up. If we as Christians all let our light shine as we ought, the powers of Hell could not stop our light from overtaking the world's darkness.
II) Light provides comfort
I found this article that talked about the relationship between shortened day light hours and depression.
'Tis the season to be depressed. That seems to be true for a segment of the population who become depressed as the days get shorter.
A lot has been written about "holiday blues," and certainly the holidays bring back negative memories for many. More than any other time of year there is an emphasis on families. If you grew up in an alcoholic family, an abusive family, or a neglectful family the trappings of the season may remind you of what it was like growing-up. Seasonal depression is sometimes hard to diagnose because it kicks-in at the same time of year.
Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) include:
Depressed mood
Fatigue and lack of energy
Sleeping much more than usual, increased need for sleep, or difficulty awakening in the morning
Increased appetite, often including carbohydrate craving
Weight gain
Reduced work productivity
These symptoms are not present in the late spring and summer months. SAD seems to be more common in northern latitudes (and in southern latitudes in the southern hemisphere) because the winter day gets shorter the closer you travel toward the polar regions. Estimates are that SAD affects less than 1% of the population in Florida, while in Alaska as many as 10% of people may suffer.
Many experts believe that many more people suffer from "subclinical SAD" - that they get more sad and lethargic in the winter, but not actually depressed. The treatments used for SAD may be helpful for these people too. The most important factor in seasonal depression seems to be day length. Some research suggests that the brain may produce less serotonin in some people during short days.
How is seasonal depression treated? One of the most effective treatments is bright light therapy. Sitting under a high intensity bright light for 30 minutes every morning can help people who get depressed in the winter. These lights are available from a number of sources, and research suggests that they do not have to be "full spectrum" lights in order to improve mood. The most important ingredient seems to be the intensity of the light. The light should mimic the brightness of being outdoors on a sunny day.
I know many people who say they get depressed that it gets dark by 5:00 or even if we get extended periods of rain and no sunshine. The sunshine can be a great comfort to us even when we are having a bad day. The same is true of candle light or camp fire light. So it is with us. We ought to be a comfort to those in darkness by sharing our light with them. As the scripture mentioned in Matthew 5:16 we ought to let out light shine before men so that they will come to praise God because of us.
III) Light exposes the hidden things
I remember back when I was in the military and lived in barracks that we would have problems time to time with roaches. They would hide inside and under desks, beds, etc. When I would come in the room and turn on the light and there was a roach or two on the floor where I could see it, they would scatter as fast as they could to get out of the light and back into the darkness because the light made them uncomfortable. I think that is symbolic of what the world does. In John 3:19 Jesus said "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." When we let our light shine on the world we expose the darkness that controls this world. When we stand up for what is right and just we make the world uncomfortable... kind of like that salt in the wound I mentioned in the last post.
IV) Light, when concentrated, can produce great heat
I was watching this guy on TV the other week who goes out and survives in some remote location and films the entire experience. He takes no provisions with him. He was trying to start a fire so he could set up camp and he used a magnifying glass to capture and funnel all the light energy from the sun to spark a flame in some brush. It took some time and patience but he persevered and soon had his fire. We can be like this also. We must not get discouraged if we can't light some one's fire for Christ the first time we try or even the second time. However, if we are steadfast and allow the power of the light to work on them, we allow the opportunity for the spark that we planted to be ignited and catch aflame.
V) Light, in high intensity, can be blinding
I like to drive but I don't really enjoy driving at night. One of the reasons is some people have their high beams on and if I am not careful they can temporarily blind me. The same is true of the sun. I have played baseball and football in the past and just as I thought I was in good position to catch the ball I looked up and saw the sun and then I couldn't see anything. Yet another similar example is when I was in the movie theater one afternoon this past summer and when I left the theater I had to shield my eyes because of the contrast in light going from a completely dark theater to afternoon sunshine.
While it is true that we need to let people see our light, we need to be careful we don't overdo it and blind them. What I mean by overdoing it is not to "preach" at them or try to beat them over the head with a bible. We need to lovingly present Christ so that they will want what we already have. We need to have a balance. Paul said in Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek". We need to not be ashamed or feel like we need to apologize for our message of the Gospel. However, we need to present it in a loving way and one that will attract the one we share it with to God.
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