Lightning Bugs
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NIV
As a child, I loved chasing lightning bugs. I would gently place the bugs in an old Mason jar. I put the jar on our picnic table. I sat at the table with my chin propped up on my hands watching the bugs fly around in their confined space creating a brilliant light show.
Facing a dark season in my life made me think of those bugs. Even though they were trapped, they continued to let their light shine. They didn’t panic because they were still getting air from the holes in the lid of the jar.
I can get trapped, too, in my emotions, pain, and challenges, my own Mason jar you might say. As I thought about those bugs, I realized Satan puts me in the jar using worry and fear as bait-Satan’s attempt to dim God’s love for me. Satan watches proudly as I bounce from side to side in my jar trying to get out under my own power. Exhausted, I finally look up through the holes punched in the lid. A ray of light shows through reminding me that God is with me.
God removes the lid of the jar for us to fly free and light the world with His Word. All it takes is for us to trust and obey.
Is something holding you back? Are worries and fear dimming your light? The Bible reminds us, “You are the light of the world. A city on the hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14-15 NIV).
Sometimes, even with our challenges, we must be willing to step out of our comfort zone and leave what is keeping us trapped, because God has already set us free. Helping others helps us.
Dear God, thank you for sending your Son to guide, protect and free us from our worries, fears, and challenges. We know that You want the best for us and sometimes the journey is more difficult than we expected. We know you are never surprised by our problems. Thank you for preparing a way to grow closer to you through your Word, our prayers, and those of others. And most of all thank you for preparing us for eternity.
Mitzie Avera,
