Be the Light in Darkness

 

“You are the light of the world” Matt 5:14

 

Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, with the Covid hitting the entire world, many have experienced the darkness of life. The works cease and the pay decrease, social gathering that gives happiness comes to a halt, and the life of many is made miserable not only by the disease but by the mental trauma of the affected section of people. Many lost the hope of living a healthy life again, many lost confidences in the health system and public leaders, and most of all, many lost their faith in God. Many questions the existence and working of God’s love and mercy upon His creatures. There was darkness in the world, with little or no hope of living a normal life ever again. 

 

In this life of darkness and hopelessness, there seems nothing to be working out. Even the prayers seem to be useless. Many people had nothing to even think of. The spiritual life of many believers went down to the bottom. The people are compelled to stay home which many realized the importance of family, yet many lived a living hell for those broken ones. The stress, anxiety, and depression of the people went from bad to worse. 

 

Few people are suffering themselves, yet despite all that, they were filled with hope and faith in God’s perfect will. In the darkness, some people struggled themselves, yet they still gave light to others. The hope and love shown by these people have helped the struggling ones to find hope even during life’s darkness. Because of these few people, many lives have changed, and many lives have been turned around. 

There were times when we could not share our problems with our family, or friends, or mentors. Yet some people came forward, out of deep concern, to ask how we were doing. Out of nowhere, we shared our problems and we got better, not because we found advice, but because they listened and gave the hope of life again. They gave light in the darkness. We find hope in such people who cares for us deeply, who dare to ask how life was going, who gave their time in listening to us, who, instead of giving advice or lecture, prayed for and with us, and who share their struggles with us. Life becomes better and hope is found when such people came into our life. 

 

Many people wish to hear such comforting words instead of life’s lecture or advice, who wish to receive a message of hope and feel the presence of God in such a miserable situation. Oftentimes, instead of hope, many were given advice that was difficult for them to take in certain situations. Some people just need a little bit of encouragement, a little bit of love, and care to get back on their feet. 

Many people do not wish to share their problems with others because of the fear of shame, rejection, and the fear of not being heard at all. Some of them keep their problems to themselves till they were no longer able to bear them. They do so because there was no one to share their struggles with, or even if they had, they fear shame and rejection instead of acceptance, and therefore, they prefer to keep it to themselves which leads to serious consequences. These people suffer just because no one dared to listen to them, and no one accept them as they were. They were being ignored. 

 

Social media has become a major platform for many to share their problems either directly or indirectly. Oftentimes, many preferred to share their struggles indirectly on social media posts, wishing someone will understand, yet many seem to not care about such things. If we read the post carefully, there could be some unspeakable problems faced by such persons. Many people use social media to get the attention of their problems because no one they stay with care for them, yet we seem to ignore them so easily; we are just doing our stuff. 

 

When Jesus told His followers that they were the light of the world, he told His followers to carry the light they received from Him. As a believer, we received that light from Jesus and as such we are to help the people who are still in the darkness of life. Many people are still under the dominion of sin; it is our responsibility to bring them out of darkness to light. Many people are suffering from depression, anxiety, fear, and shameful life; it is our responsibility to help them out and bring them to Christ for healing. As believers, let us carry or pass on the light we received from Christ. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are perfect or good enough to do that, but with our imperfections and struggles surrendered to Christ, carry the light of Him to the lost. 

 

It is said ‘a candle has to burn itself to light the room’, so it is true that we struggle ourselves yet to give hope and light to others. We may be struggling with financial problems, yet some others are struggling with everyday needs. We may be struggling with friendships, yet some are struggling with families. No one can be in their comfort zone to give light to others. A candle is lighted in darkness to give light to the darkness. We cannot be living in our comfort zone and understand the problems of the struggling ones. We must know how it feels to struggle and give hope to others. Just as a candle burns itself in darkness to give light, let us live our lives in giving light and hope to others despite the challenges we go through. May we be a little light at the opposite end of the tunnel that gives hope to the ones who just entered the dark tunnel of life. May we be the candle that is lighted somewhere in the room giving light to others in darkness.