In a world filled with so much darkness, pain, and struggling it can seem overwhelming to try and be the light that God tells us to be.
We sometimes feel so small that it’s easy to wonder what difference we can make. But Pastor Jon Weece encourages us that even though we, as humans, have struggles, fears, and what seems like a small light, we can still have a great impact.
When Jon preaches it’s transparent and honest. He’s open about his struggles and fears, but then he goes on to do what God’s called him to. He lives out a life of faith, and part of what makes it such a powerful testimony is that he doesn’t hide his struggles.
There is encouragement in seeing a godly person admit that life isn’t easy and perfect, but that there’s still hope and the ability to accomplish great things.
When a person is honest about the struggle, then people also bear the fruit of their victories because they know what it cost was for them to get there and are able to celebrate in the victory.
“That’s another reason to be honest about our struggles because when we take these steps of faith, other people know what it took for us to get there.”
How do we, as Christians, help others see the light when they’re going through life’s trials?
Jon shares an analogy he created a few years ago on how we can all be valuable lights of the world:
“My kids, every summer, loved chasing and catching fireflies… we have lots of them in the warmer months and they’ll put them in a little jar. [The fireflies] light up the night sky, and I thought to myself this past summer, when I was watching them have fun in the backyard, ‘you don’t have to be the biggest light, and you don’t have to be the brightest light, you just need to be the closest light to someone who is hurting or struggling,’ and that’s the way I feel.”
We’re not called to be perfect. We don’t have to have our lives all together to help others. We don’t even need to be an outgoing extrovert to shine brightly in the lives around us, we just need to be fireflies.
“I am not a real, you know, gregarious type person or a magnetic personality, even on stage that’s not who I am. But I can be a firefly. I can be a little light in the darkness that people gravitate towards, and I think the message I have for people is just one of hope. We’re going to get through this, we’re going to get through it together, and we’re going to come out better on the other side. That is the hope, and that is the promise…”
That hope and promise is available to everyone, and something we can always share with those who are struggling.
After all, God doesn’t recoil from your pain – He understands it and has a response plan to it.
“God has given us a past response to pain, present response to pain, and a future response.”
God’s past response is that we can look back to the cross and say He did something about our suffering.
God’s present response is that we can look to the church today and the community that He’s given us and we can say He is doing something. He’s given us brothers and sisters who understand.
God’s future response is that we look forward to the future and realize there are leaves on the trees in heaven that are for the healing of the nations. God is going to heal everything once and for all permanently that I’ve been through and that I’m currently struggling with.
There’s need and there’s a mission field all around each one of us. If being a light stops being about personal traits or accomplishments, and instead becomes about sharing God’s love and promise with those in need, then we become a valuable light in the darkness.
Key Scriptures: Revelation 21:4, Romans 3:23
Featured Songs: I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin; We Fall Down by Steven Curtis Chapman; Here I Am by Jeremy Camp
