JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

I am a dork. This means that I like dorky things, like LED flashlights in the shape of Jesus. I purchased such an item when I was still in the USA, as it 1) made me laugh and 2) was practical- it’s small enough to stow in your pocket. A few days ago, my dorkiness paid off; I discovered that it can be really helpful to have “Jesus, the Light of the World” in your possession.

After a long day of pulling weeds and planting still more seedlings in the garden, I was filthy. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, a thunderstorm was brewing in the sky above, bringing (we hoped) much needed rain to the area. As much as I love thunderstorms, I’m not necessarily a fan of bathing while one is happening outside. But on this day I didn’t have much of a choice, as I was covered in dirt. I decided to hop in and get it done with, before something happened due to the storm, like the roof blowing off the house (it’s happened here before)!

So there I am- scrubbing away at my filthy limbs and lathering up my hair when ZAP! There go the lights! I am plunged into sudden darkness, punctuated only by flashes of lightning which I glimpse through the windows. Instead of being afraid though, I laughed aloud; I knew Jesus was with me. I had a feeling that something like this might just happen, so I had brought my dorky Jesus light with me to the bathroom. His Light led me through the darkness, and brought comfort where there might have been anxiety; I was, after all, in a rather compromising situation! After drying myself off and getting fully clothed, I was proud to walk out of the bathroom and show my host parents that Jesus, the Light of the World, had led me through the darkness.

And today, I realized just how much of an impact that little light of mine can have; I was at the store with my host mom when she noticed little mini flashlights for sale at the cash register. She reached over, grabbed one, and said, “Well, you have Jesus with you. I decided I’d better get one for myself.”

Moral of the Story? It’s great when you have a Light, but it’s even better when you can share that Light with others. I wonder when I might need to pull out Jesus, the Light of the World, next?