“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.”

–DL Moody.

Something’s been bugging me.  Ever since I wrote my last blog, I’ve felt like I didn’t go deep enough.  Sometimes, when writing, we writers have to focus our work on a pretty narrow topic in order to really get the point across, and so sometimes the end result feels a little watered down.  I mashed up what God is doing in my heart into bite-sized pieces.  But, what He’s doing inside me is much deeper than what I get down on paper.  I know that this is what “good” writers do—otherwise we’d be so boring no one would want to read what we have to say.  So, I’m going to attempt to put into succinct words the depth that he’s been laying on my heart.

Jesus said His greatest two commandments were to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” And to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  All of the other commandments are built from these two simple statements.   These may seem simple, but they are hard to live up to.  I’d challenge you that when you really look at your heart, you’re failing in these two areas just like I am.  It’s hard to keep your eyes on Christ and love Him first.  It’s even harder to treat those around us—who may be secular and not living like they’re supposed to—with the love we give to ourselves.  There are so many sins that get in a Christian’s way.  Being Christ to the world gets lost in translation sometimes.  We put people off because of pride:  we know we’re right and they’re wrong.  So, they need to just “get with the program.”  I’ve heard good Christians talk about politics in a way that makes my heart break.  Their argument was that they were fighting for the right things, so what if they stomp on a few toes in the process. What’s been bothering me so much is the way we go about making our point: whether we’re right or not, if we sin while delivering the message, then we’re getting in Christ’s way!  I’ll give you a couple of clear examples.

The first example is from an article I read published by Kirk Cameron.  The article was on non-negotiables for being a dad.  (http://kirkcameron.com/2013/09/8-non-negotiables-dads-daughters/)  It was a nice article and I enjoyed reading it.  Then I got to the comments.  A self-proclaimed atheist made a classic comment on the sins of Christianity. I read as a couple readers tried to minister to this man, but soon they were drowned out by the onslaught of attacks against him.  Here’s one, “Ahh, [name omitted] … you spew garbage. But, when one lives in the dumps, that’s all they know. Ain’t that right, bubba.” Yikes…my heart sank.  Christians were not behaving like Christ.  And the man’s response was right on the money:  “I’m starting to get enjoyment out of this.  You proclaim yourself as a Christian but conduct yourself poorly, it just provides [proves] my point with every insult, but maybe I should just listen to some of the Good Christians on here and not judge them by your actions.”

The second example I found was in the article Why You’re Teaching Your Daughter to be a Mean Girl (http://m.ksl.com/index/story/sid/26861581?mobile_direct=y#.UjwuzhQsFjY.facebook ).   Another awesome article, and the author hit the nail on the head when she wrote, “Social media has created an atmosphere where people feel entitled to peek in on every aspect of your life. People feel entitled to say whatever they want. I cannot tell you how many times I have observed mothers, via social media, being downright nasty to one another about anything and everything. It is shocking and sad. But if it starts with us, it has to end with us. It’s our responsibility, as mothers, to do everything in our power to make sure we aren’t (even unknowingly) raising mean girls.”  I see this everyday on Facebook!  It’s crazy.  We don’t even know people and yet we’re attacking them. I fear social media has allowed us to devalue human life.  We don’t see people as people because we can’t see them, touch them, or be a part of their lives.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m a Facebook junkie.  But I do fear what will become of us as we delve more and more into a world where humanity isn’t tangible.

So, we all know there’s a problem, but, what do we do. Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  Profound words, and hard ones.  Especially when we believe we are right and we’re being attacked.  You say, “We can’t change this in a day.”  You’re right.  We can’t.  It’s a day-by-day deal.  My grandma always told me that I might be the only Bible some people ever read…I better get it right.  That doesn’t mean proving others wrong with my words, but rather with my life.  I have to live the life that glorifies Christ.  I think of how He answered when He was attacked.  He answered with kindness and love, usually with scripture, and He didn’t attack back.  You don’t find many times where Jesus lost his temper.  Every word He spoke had a purpose and He was never rash.  My interactions must be a reflection of Christ or I’m failing Him.  I have to remember His word and treat others like I want to be treated—not how they treat me.  I have to remember to keep my eyes on Him and love Him first and then put everyone else on the same plane as myself.  I have to remember to get the plank out of my eye so I can see clearly to help others with the speck in theirs.  I have to remember that when I am talking to any other person on this earth, that they are His child whether they acknowledge Him or not.  I have to remember that a gentle answer turns away wrath, and that sometimes I don’t need to answer at all because, as DL Moody said, “We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.”  I pray that my light is clear and bright for Him.

Staying Alert in Christ,

Megan