Scripture: Jesus said, “You are
the light of the world. Let your light shine . . .” Mt. 5: 14; 16,
NIV
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna’ let it shine! There is more than a little
wisdom packed in the simplest of children’s songs! We’ve all watched children
sing this one with the gusto that only a little child can exude, finger
held up to represent a candle. We have probably sang it ourselves, as both
child and adult, but living the words as a life-long practice. . . now that’s
a difficult undertaking.
The song is based upon Jesus’ teachings contained in
the “Sermon on the Mount,” Matthew Chapters 5, 6, and 7. We are to
be living candles, showing the world the “Son-shine.” In a way, the
“light” analogy is the pivot point of all the rest of the Beatitudes, including
those two most important commandments;
Love the Lord your God with
all your heart,
all your soul, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Little children imitate adults: Oh! How they imitate
them! Monkey see; monkey do! Both good and bad.
Hide it under a bushel, No!
I’m gonna’ let it shine.
It is hard to hide anything
from these little ones. They are a seeing, doing, learning machine. It is
programmed into them. Some things are innate: crying, sucking, responding
to touch and parental warmth, even babbling which later becomes speech.
While the ability to learn language and mannerisms
is programmed in, most things are acquired through experience. Like a dry
sponge placed in water, we soak up the language we hear and see used. If we
want our children to learn to talk, we talk to them. We let our “language”
shine! We don’t hide it. Neither should we hide a righteous life.
So - two faces of “hide” -
1. We should not hide our “son-shine light” from children, or the
world; and,
2. We should not maintain a secret, non-Christian counterpart to our “shiny”
life, and try to keep it hidden in the darkness.
That old deceiver whispers to us,
“It’s OK. Do it! Nobody will see; nobody will know.”
Won’t let Satan ‘poof’ it out;
I’m gonna’ let it shine.
Children see quite well in the “darkness.” And
someone is certainly going to turn on the “lights” sooner or later.
A candle/light shines outward, not inward.
The more ‘outward’ we make our lives, the less reason we have to fear
the ‘darkness.’
February 24, 2002
Subscribe
to Seeds For Thinking as a FREE weekly email.
