Life Can Be Dark and Lonely. Let's Shine - Not Glare!

Core Thought: Our words are powerful. They can either help or hinder another. Let's think before sending them into the world!

This is another photo from my days at dear old Clemson. Over 2,000 guys lived in this dorm, Johnstone Hall. Doesn't it look "cozy?" Okay, maybe it looks more "penitentiary, -ish." I miss those old days of hearing drunks smash beer bottles down the halls (only on weekends mind you!), and hearing phone conversations three doors down.

When I came across this photo, it reminded me of how life can be for some...dark and lonely. Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:14-16 Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out^] the word of life.

“Shining” does not mean to be a GLARING light in someone’s life. It is so easy to see our mission as convincing others to agree with us on a checklist of beliefs so they can “see the light,” be saved, and eventually get into heaven.

Christ, however, seemed to spend quite a bit of time teaching (and showing by example) his followers to love people, even our enemies, by “doing good” to them. Even in this passage in Philippians, Paul prefaces his remarks on “shining” with a warning not to be argumentative.

I think what Christ wants us to do is to love people. Actually, if we do “everything else” and forget to love people, we’ve missed the boat completely, and our light might not be bright enough to be seen by anyone.