Reflecting Christ's Light
Updated: Jul 30
Sometimes truly loving people can be a messy business...
The hardest time to be faithful to the causes of Christ is when doing so is inconvenient. A couple of nights ago, I was relaxing with my wife at home under a warm blanket when I received a call from one of our guests. He was going through a rough time and was lashing out at me calling me names. I was initially taken aback. However, I realized that he may be trying to push me away because he wanted to isolate himself. I kept on listening to him rant, but eventually, he broke down and told me he needed help.
He believed a life without her was not worth living. He wanted to die because the pains of this world were just too great for him to bear.
I could tell he was drinking and did not want him to get arrested for being drunk in public. I told him to stay on the phone with me and jumped in my car. The whole drive I spoke with him. I eventually found him on the streets and told him to get in the car. He was in rough shape. I brought him to a local restaurant to get food for him so he would sober up. For the next three hours, we spoke of all the things he was going through and ways to address them in healthy ways. We also talked about his spiritual walk. I learned in our conversation that he was going through marriage issues. The thoughts of losing his wife led him to the bottle that night. He could not imagine a life without her. He believed a life without her was not worth living. He wanted to die because the pains of this world were just too great for him to bear. My talk with him may have saved his life. I am not writing this to make myself appear high and mighty. I’m writing this to show that reflecting the light of Christ often means stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into dark areas of people’s lives. Being the light of Christ is often messy and inconvenient. I did not plan on spending three-plus hours with him that night. I planned on spending time with my wife. However, I am glad I went because I was given an opportunity to reflect His light on a soul that needed His presence more than ever.
Reflecting the light of Christ may look different to you in your context. Maybe reflecting the light of Christ means you reach out to a friend you know is going through a hard time. Maybe it means you teach the youth at your church about Christ. Maybe it means you serve at a local nonprofit. Regardless of what your context is, consider new ways of reflecting His light each day. The reality is the forces of darkness are active in this world. The world needs to see the light of Christ! We the Church are put on this Earth for that purpose and that purpose alone. Evangelize! Serve! Show that you care! Go and be who God made you to be!