We Are In Control
“Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim, or diminish your light.” ~ John Lewis
I like the song, This Little Light of Mine. I like when we sing, “Put it under a bushel? NO! I’m gonna let it shine.” There are so many “bushels” out there that try to diminish our light. The bushel of embarrassment. The bushel of self-recrimination. The bushel of shame. The bushel of guilt. These bushels, and many more, cover our light and keep us from fully being God’s holy people.
Most of the bushels that I speak of are self-imposed. We generally rebel when someone else tries to cover us up. We fight against it and do our best to shine. However, when we put the bushel over ourselves, we often leave it in place and fail to shine out for others to see.
When we do so, we do a grave disservice to both ourselves and others. We prevent ourselves from ministering to God’s people as we have been called to do. We also deprive others of the help, care, and concern that we could provide them. In failing to reach out, we do not extend God’s love to another. Remember, God uses us as His hands and feet, voice and heart. We should never deprive another of that wondrous experience.
Of course, when we deprive others, we also deprive ourselves because when we minister to another, we receive as much as we give. That is the great mystery of stewardship. Giving from the little we often have, we are given more so that we can give even more and, consequently, receive even more. The more we bless others, the more blessed we become.
Don’t let others — or yourself — deprive you of that wondrous opportunity. Never let anyone or anything diminish your light. Instead, let your light shine for the world to see!
FAITH ACTION: Give God your doubts, fears, and struggles so that you can feel confident reaching out to others.