This Little Light of Mine

“Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” (Lu 11:35 AV)

Verses thirty-four and thirty-five are often separated from the context.  Our Master is encouraging His disciples not to hide their light under a bushel.  The light is from the inside out.  Not from the outside in.  There two verses are often misunderstood to mean that which we take in through the eye will determine the brightness of the light within.  This is true.  There is nothing that would dispute this.  But our passage is the light which shines from within.  The eye not only determines what light comes in.  It also determines what light goes out.  Our verse above is an admonition to those who have the light of the gospel.  We are admonished not to allow the eye-gate to be the bushel that hides the hope of the gospel within.  The verse above plainly states the light is already possessed and can be turned to darkness.  Not the other way around.

How we view life has a lot to do with how effective we are in changing it.  Our pessimism or optimism goes a long way in determining how others react.  There are two truths which we want to entertain this day.  The first is, there is light!  If we know the LORD, there is light within.  No matter how difficult life may be at the moment, there is hope, peace, and purpose.  Doom-and-gloom should have no part in the heart of the believer.  We can be discouraged.  We often are.  But this discouragement is contrary to the light that abides within.  There is light there.  We simply need to connect with it.  Second, our attitude has a lot to do with the light that is within.  We can extinguish the light God gives.  If we are not careful, the light that is within becomes darkness because of how we choose to view things.  I wish I could say that God has given me complete victory here.  I wish that were the case.  But I am a pessimist by nature.  It is something I have to fight all the time. “ Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” is something I know to be true.  To always look at life that way no matter the circumstances is another thing all together.

But there is a third application here as well.  The one implied in the context.  There are others who are looking for light.  The LORD’s challenge is to let is shine.  He reproves those who would put a bushel over it.  There are those with no light inside.  They are looking for that light.  They are going into a dark room and hope there is a candle that will show them the way.  We are that candle.  There is a child’s song we teach to our young ones.  It is called, This Little Light of Mine.  Why is it we teach this song of optimism to children?  They need it the least.  Then when we become more sophisticated adults, we forget the principle this song teaches?  How we look at life will determine the quality of light we shine.  Time to look at life through the eyes of hope and faith.  Time to see challenges as opportunities.  Time to see others as ones in need of the light.