Not many of us today are carrying around a flashlight in our pockets. Due to the overwhelming convenience of the advent of flashlight apps on most mobile devices, that just isn't necessary. It is highly convenient to be able to pull out our phones and have an instant flashlight. Whether you rely on your Iphone's flashlight app or if you have an old style EverReady flashlight rolling around in the trunk of your car or stashed away in a kitchen drawer, it really doesn't matter if the batteries are not charged properly. The light that your device of choice can shed is only going to be as bright and glaring as the strength of the batteries in its storage tank. Neglecting to regularly check on the charge of the batteries life can lead to some frustrating situations. Failure to check on the life of, and then regularly charge those batteries, will most likely end up creating a situation where you are in need of some additional light and you will find that our source of light is either dimming quickly, or in many cases non-existent. Funny how our life's "light" is much the same as that of the flashlight.
In Matthew 5:16 Jesus proclaims, "... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." We each have a light inside of us. The extent of our light's effectiveness in helping others "see the light" first falls on our ability to turn the light on. With our flashlight analogy, there is an on / off switch or button, and to shed our device's light we only are required to press that button. Instant light! For us to shine our light to those around us it's not that simple. To be a light in this world is a choice that we have to make. There isn't a button that someone can press and suddenly our light is visible to the world in which we live, we have to make the decision to be a light. Unfortunately, we can choose to hide our light or actually be an extinguisher of that light.
In the same chapter of Matthew, Jesus makes the point that we don't turn on a light only to cover it up with a basket, but instead when we turn on our flashlight we set it up on a table so that it's light is beneficial to everyone in the room. Do you cover up your light? Do you make an effort to share your light with others so they can see? Have you even turned your light on or is it hidden deep inside your calloused soul? Believe me when I tell you that you have the potential to brighten the life of those that you come in contact with each day. You have the potential to bring light to the darkness that envelopes someone you know or a whole group of someones you live with, work with, or encounter in some way each day. Your job is to make sure your batteries are charged up and prepared to shine each day.
Charge your batteries on the source that provides energy to your very soul. The Word of God is able to lift you up and energize your life, but you must connect to it much like batteries that receive their charge when they are plugged into an electrical outlet. Store up God's Word in your heart, mind, and soul so that you are prepared to shine in even the darkest moments of your life or the life of those you encounter. Finally, keep your light with you at all times. In life, we don't know when we will encounter a time that a flashlight will come in handy, and in much the same way if we only shine our light when we are in the places that already have light such as at church or among like-minded friends or family our light will not be able to reach those that actually need the "Light" in their lives. If you aren't shining your light wherever you are at this moment in your life, then you are allowing your batteries to be depleted of their energy in an extremely unproductive manner.
I pray daily that God will fill me with His Word and with His purpose for my life, and then I pray that He will pour me out each day, emptying my life of its batteries charge completely, so that I can come back to the source for a new charge each night before I lay my head down to rest. It is my prayer for each of you reading this today that you too will charge your battery, shine His light brightly, and always leave a room brighter than it was when you entered! You are blessed, shine and share it each moment of every day!
Coach Carter
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