She was on her third Christmas tree. My husband and I received the pretty tree-top angel as a gift. For thirty years, she had taken her place and glowed above the rest of the decorations.
My heart sank when I plugged her in for her annual light check. Nothing happened. After more than three decades of faithfully serving her duty with no complications, her lights had burnt out.
I wondered if it was time to find a replacement for her, but I just didn’t have the heart. I thought about the effort it would take to fix the broken angel. I didn’t really want to go to all of the trouble. However, as I held her in my hands and remembered Christmas pasts, I knew I needed to take care of her. She was made to shine.
The process took a good chunk of my time. I had to run to the store to find a clear strand of lights to replace the set that had made her glow for so many years. Then I was left with the tedious job of rewiring her.
After she was fixed, I lifted her up high to take her place just inches from the ceiling. I plugged her in, and watched as she brightly shined her light. Yes. She was made to shine.
I thought about my own light. There have been times that it has dimmed. I’m sure there have even been times that no one could even see it shine at all.
I believe the trouble in my life is that at times, I have let the cares of this world steal my focus from the Source of my light. Instead of praying, I worried. Instead of searching for truth in God’s word, I allowed myself to believe Satan’s lies. Rather than listening to the Holy Spirit’s leading and guidance when I was offended, I responded with hurtful words and careless actions. Instead of trusting that God would take care of whatever trial or tribulation that caused my light to dim, I found myself in despair over the things I could not fix.
Thankfully, I have a loving and patient Father who has been teaching me to rely on the power of the Spirit. He has also blessed me with caring brothers and sisters in Christ who have helped shift my focus back to Him when I’m not listening to Him very well.
We cannot let the troubles of this world dim our lights. God forbid that our lights would be totally snuffed out. It’s imperative that we stay plugged into the Source through prayer and meditating on His word. We must stay focused on the Source of the Great Light within us. For we were made to shine!
“You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).