Being His Light

Of all the creations that God has made, my very favorite is a good sunrise. Now, don’t get me wrong, sunsets are pretty amazing too! But there’s something special about a sunrise. The very first light of the day. It’s a new beginning. In Sunday School we sing “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.” With the mind of a child, I thought that in order to shine Jesus’s light, I would have to be perfect. I thought Jesus only likes a person when they are at their best, doing what is right all the time. Boy was I wrong.

The light of the sun changes with the seasons. Winter is my favorite. Woohoo, I love the cold! For one thing, there are no mosquitoes or flies in the winter. I’m not a fan of them even though they are part of His creation. During the winter season, there are awesome clouds that make the best sunrises and sunsets. It’s the Lord's perfect masterpieces every morning and evening.

As an adult, I know that striving to be His perfect light is impossible. But we can ask God to fill us with Him and to use us to show His love to others. God asks us to love Him and to love others. He doesn’t say to decide if someone is worthy, He just says to love others. The sun rises every morning and shines on everyone. Everyone gets a fresh start every day.

In Galatians 5:22 the apostle Paul tells us that that the Holy Spirit produces the fruits of LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL.

Towards the end of winter, when the danger of frost is gone, I like to start planting new seeds and flowers. It does take a lot of work but the payoff is so beautiful. I try to get my kids to help in the process so they too can experience that hard work pays off. I recently got to show my kids how to plant bulbs. We have done seeds for flowers but they haven’t experienced planting bulbs. It’s funny, my kids don’t like to clean up their rooms but they do enjoy doing yard work!

I show them how to get the soil ready by pulling the weeds that will crowd out our new flowers, and how to clear away the old fallen leaves. I explain to them that in life, we have to do the same thing. We must clear away what does not help us grow. I explain to them that these seeds won’t grow overnight. It takes patience. We have to care for what we want to grow.

Galatians 6:9 says “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” The light we all need to shine is the love that comes from the Lord. Showing His love to whoever passes our way. If you’re not able to go anywhere, show His love with a text or a phone call. Write a letter saying “Hey, you are worthy of His love!” Be the light and choose to shine it on others.

My favorite flower to grow is a sunflower. I absolutely love to plant them every year. They too don’t grow overnight.It takes time and you get just one huge flower with many seeds. It takes about 90 - 95 days to grow from seed to flower. Sunflowers are my favorite because they lean toward the light of the sun. When it's cloudy and there is no sun, they lean toward each other.

We must be like a sunflower. Looking towards the light and helping others see the light. By practicing the Fruits of the Spirit we can let our little light shine. So please do challenge yourself to work on a fruit each week. In the very beginning in Genesis 1:28 God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. I like to think of being fruitful with the Fruits of the Spirit and multiply the fruits of LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL. Your little light can shine so bright! Be the lighthouse for others to see.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. - James 1:17 (ESV)

By Sara Frias