Seeing the Light

I suppose everyone’s heard the old Hank Williams song "I Saw the Light," released in 1948. Hank Williams is considered one of the great country singers of all-time, but he led a troubled life, cut short by the ravages of alcoholism at the age of 29. My father had a couple of Hank Williams records, and I grew up listening to his unmistakable sound.

The simple lyrics to " I Saw the Light" begin:

I wandered so aimless life filled with sin                                     
I wouldn't let my dear Savior in
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night
Praise the Lord I saw the light.

Light is a common theme throughout the Bible. A quick search turns up hundreds of usages of the word light. None more clearly and simply defines the Light of the Bible more than Psalm 18: 28:

For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness

Without Christ in my life, I was in darkness. As Christians, we are mandated to bring others to the light. I’ve named my blog "Reflecting the Light," because that’s what I want to do, reflect the Light of God’s love for me, expressed by His sacrificing his own Son, Jesus, for the sins of the world.

Before we were Christians, we didn’t necessarily know we were in darkness. Ephesians 5:8 tells us:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

We are mandated here to "walk as children of light" first and foremost to give glory to God, but also to bring others to that same light that we walk in. Last week, I wrote about losing my money at a crooked carnival game. I’m also reminded of a time when I entered a carnival spook house as a kid. It was basically just a pitch-black maze which you had to weave yourself through. There were a lot of eerie sound effects playing and people screaming in fear. I wanted out badly, but couldn’t find my way on my own. Every once in a while the exit door would open, and a slither of light would appear throughout the maze. The key to finding your way out of the darkness was to keep following that light. The closer you got to the light the brighter it appeared.

That’s pretty symbolic of where we are without Christ in our lives, stuck in the darkness. As Christians, we are to shine the Light through our lives for others to see, helping them come out of their darkness. It has to be done in a loving way, not a blinding way. A preacher I heard in Minnesota last week likened it to using a flashlight to help someone find their way. You don’t shine the light directly in their eyes, blinding them. That would turn them away from the light.

But that’s what we do, sometimes, trying to beat the Gospel over someone’s head. Instead, we should try to shine our Light lovingly, in a way that displays Christ’s love for us. Now, go, and shine the Light of Christ for someone today, and show them the Way to their salvation.