The light we bear
On Monday nights for over two years, an eclectic group of women of varying ages and backgrounds, meet around a table for a meal prepared by one of the members of the group. And later around that same member’s sunroom we listen and learn scripture together. Amidst moments of vulnerability, grief and love, we inevitably cultivate a space where hearts grow fuller. Bigger. Closer to Christ, and to each other. I have learned an incredible amount about myself through this shared experience with other women, and even better, I have learned just how amazing a group of mismatched and broken humans can be when they fellowship together and harness the gift of the Holy Spirit to heal, encourage and minister-not just to each other, but outside of those beachscape walls and into the communities they inhabit. It occurred to me one evening that what we had was special. So special, that it shouldn’t just exist in meatballs and mashed potato Monday nights in the house on Main. Our curiosities, our fears, our stories, once spoken out loud and graciously heard, is what makes each of us stronger, more faithful and more whole. And everyone deserves to have the feeling I always have when I pull away from the driveway after a night with those women.
“Parts of our lives we’d just as soon forget, yet in the hands of a Master, our mess can become the greatest miracle of all.” -Priscilla Shirer, “Jonah”
It was in a study with those women, this time about Jonah, that I read those words and it hit me. I heard what she said and thought, isn’t that why our witness is so valuable to Him and His kingdom? We are so very messy, broken and hurting, ALL OF US.. What He is able to do through us in those messy situations or in that broken state we find ourselves in is the real miracle of God. When we acknowledge the mess, ask for His help, accept His grace and surrender to His will, that is where His power in us lives. And when we tell others of His goodness and His grace in those moments, it makes us relatable, humble and connected to our human spirit and invites others to receive the same in their lives. This phenomenon had been happening under my nose for months in those Monday night studies, and was the divine answer to the question we often asked in that room, “what can we do with what we learn here to make a difference out there?” This blog series is the answer to that question for me. And it’s how I want to be obedient to His calling.
“It is not enough for you to be my servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations., to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6
When we live in our own self-righteousness or shame, we hide the humanity within us; we avoid the opportunity to connect with others and witness to them. We miss out on the chance to “shine our light,” the light that is ignited when we ask Him to live in our hearts.
This inaugural year of the Light Bearers blog is about acknowledging and celebrating the light that lives inside us all. We invite you to come with questions for us and for your own life about harnessing your light for the glory of God and the good of others. Welcome and God bless you all!
