Around one year ago, I was tightly packed in a pitch black concrete room with 30 others. The last time I was able to see any form of light had been almost two hours prior. There were moments when I thought I could see something, but as I reached my hand out, I continued to experience darkness, not even being able to see my hand. As we stood in that small concrete room our team leader began explaining the darkness that exists all around the world – spiritual darkness. At that moment, all that filled my mind was the vast amount of people who would live their entire lives without knowing the light of the Gospel. He finished with a quote from John Keith Falconer,
“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.”
As he finished his sentence, he struck a match and instantly filled the room with light. That one match lit up an entire room. One small light in a room full of darkness was so powerful that we almost had to shield our eyes. This life-changing memory created a constant mindfulness of the darkness around the world.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5, “You are the light of the world.” There is no other option for the ones who follow Jesus. Our light will clearly shine because of who He is in us. This begs the question, “Where will you shine your light?”
This experience is one of the motivating factors to live in Kansas City, go overseas, and continue to work with Fusion. Fusion sends students out to some of the darkest places in the world to be the lit match in the concrete room filled with darkness. If we get the chance to burn this candle, may we light it up in the darkest places.
Where will you shine your light?
This question should cause us to reevaluate our jobs, where we live, where we spend our time, how we spend our money, even where we shop. It will probably make us uncomfortable, but the glory of God is worth more than our comfort. Are you living in a land full of lights or intentionally putting yourself in a land filled with darkness?
In Christ,
Carly Brown
St. Rose Community Church