Just One Little Candle

Have you ever been in the dark? Light is something easy to take for granted. Just flip a switch and there it is---light!

I have rarely been without it in my lifetime. The few times I have been in the dark, I have been grateful for one little candle. It didn't matter if it was a single tall taper or a fat round pillar.

Light has always been a major factor in the world. In the Genesis story of Creation, the first thing God said was, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3).

Read further and you see light specialties---sun for the day, moon and stars for the night. Beautiful, yes, but practical. Their purpose was to mark seasons and the passing of time. I wouldn't want to give up any of them, would you?

God is always into light, not darkness. He expanded light in different ways. He sent His Son who was declared "The Light of the world" (John 8:12). People, who chose to believe in Jesus, would no longer walk in spiritual darkness.

God's light was further expanded as Jesus instructed those who believed in Him to be lights, too. How? By their good works as they followed His teachings. They would bring glory to God (Matthew 5:16).

Over the centuries there have been lights that brightened the lives of millions. For example Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, William and Catherine Booth, Father Michael McGivney, Corrie Ten Boom, and Jan Karon.

Have you heard of Sister Gaynel, Pastor Joe and Carolyn, Grandma Weber, or Mom Mullins? No? Oh, I know why! Their lives of good works and good words brightened MY small world.

All these people have one thing in common---humility. Whether praising Mother Teresa or Billy Graham, each would insist, "I'm just one little candle." Mom Mullins and Grandma Weber would say the same.

Two important principles remain at work: (1) Someone is waiting for just one little candle to shine in their darkness, and (2) I am not called to shine where you can shine, nor vice versa.