They were little lights, with huge impact. My son pointed them out as we drove my mom to the airport. Lined, all the way down the road were little matchstick lights strategically placed so airplanes wouldn’t mistake our road for a runway.
“Mommy.” He said, “But, how will airplanes ever see them?”
“Oh, they will,” I said. “Even the smallest light shines in the darkness.”
The catastrophic is thwarted by light. The airplanes will know their way because of this light. The light will give way to sight that will set people on the right-path.
Just a small light that many passer-byers don’t even notice.
Light in the darkness is massive. And, the light of Christ is here, today. It is effective to save, to heal and to empower. It is greater than anything you face. It doesn’t have to be a spotlight to be life-changing, it may look small, worn or faltering.
This doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how dim your family looks, how dire the world around you appears, how desolate your heart feels today, how dark your outlook has become. He who knows no darkness, casts out darkness as you trust His light to save. No power of hell, no scheme of man, no work of an enemy, no condition or malady that can stop the strength of light from going out to accomplishing its saving work.
What do you face today?
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
What mindset tries to tell you that your future will stay dark?
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46
What thing have you been trying to fix on your own?
“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.” Psalm 18:28
Flesh is darkness; Spirit brings light, and life.
Today, I ask the Light of the World, to open your eyes up to His wondrous light, to His glorious plan and to His incredible breakthrough power. I ask that you would walk by faith and not by sight, as you trust His light to open a path before you. I ask that you rest in the arms of your, Savior. Your light has come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Rays bounce to the north, south, east, and west, painting a cross of light over a pitch dark sky. Supermoon circles large in the center of a bright, shining, old, rugged cross.
I sit on the corner of her bed, watch my sleeping beauty breathe, and I stare at the moon.
“God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” –Martin Luther
Tonight, God wrote the gospel on the moon, and I needed it more than I knew.
Many days, I gulp down living water early.
But then I run through days, where the gospel feels lost on me.
Some days start on a high note, but tangle up in chaos before we reach the middle. Some days, I have to convince myself to try get on top of it all. Instead, I feel irritated. I can’t stop moving, but I’m only running in circles.
When I finally sit down for a few minutes without little people asking for more pieces of me, I ask God really mature and selfless questions.
Why won’t they ever leave me alone?
It’s not what I really want, other than the opportunity to pause and re-center.
The night of the supermoon, it hit me.
The way of the moon is to wax and wane, and the light can all but disappear sometimes.
My light can all but disappear, in the jumble of kids and school and endless meals and the house with its dirt and projects and always so many things to do.
My light disappears in the way I react to their childishness and stubbornness and rips and smudges and everywhere messes.
I want to remain in Jesus, to be a light that shines His love day in and day out, even when it’s only for my little crew.
I also want to be left alone sometimes.
I want to stay on schedule.
I want my house all put together.
I want to complete things when I start them.
And since none of these are entirely possible, some days my light goes out. Or at least grows dim.
How is it so hard to remain in Him, when I do take the time to begin in Him?
The night I saw Him cross the moon, my heart welled up with this visible shot of gospel, in the middle of my own frustrations and failures.
His cross was brighter.
His love was stronger.
His work outlasted my own.
Once my eyes were fixed on Jesus again, I could see it all more clearly.
There is so much beauty in and around and through the chaos of our days.
God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone. This doesn’t diminish the importance of the Bible. Nothing compares to opening the pages of His Word and hearing from the Lord.
But God surrounded us with all this beauty, His own glory. It fixes our minds on Him again, and maybe there’s always more to see.
So when you look up at the sky today or the stars tonight, or when the wind blows through your backyard trees, I hope you will remember.
I hope you will look and see Jesus above the roar of your life’s chaos, and you will continue in Him. And you will remain in Him.
Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.
Angela Parlin is Dan’s wife and Mom to 3 rowdy boys and 1 sweet girl. In addition to being with friends and family, she loves to read and write, spend days at the beach, watch romantic comedies, and organize closets. But most of all, she loves Jesus and writes to call attention to the beauty of life in Christ, even when that life collaborates with chaos. Join her each week at www.angelaparlin.com, So Much Beauty in All This Chaos.
A season of lit trees and celebration was closing and I heard excited talk about picking your “one word” for the New Year. Piqued by curiosity, I researched and loved the idea of such specific focus instead of forgotten resolutions, unrealistic expectations and lists.
It seemed doable. Everyone was jumping in. So I followed suit and picked a word God had laid on my heart for months: see.
I thought about the ways I would explore the opposition between the seen and unseen in scripture and committed to searching for God’s light in the everyday. Driven by a desire to reawaken the wonder and the awe of his creation, I took time to notice things I’d often overlooked.
The crisp skyline of winter against the white, barren landscape. A solitary tulip peeking out from the frozen ground during the first glimpses of spring.
It was beautiful. I saw God’s grace in new, unexpected ways. But then another winter swept in and God seemed to hide himself behind a veil.
Clamoring for the peace of his presence, I prayed he would reveal himself.
Where are you, God? Show me your glory. Let me know you are here.
I perused the internet and found stories of terror and finger pointing. Then other news much closer to home hit.
Christmas.
People are laughing and hugging as they reunite.
Talking about the year past.
Unwrapping their anticipated gifts.
Listening to a story repeated for the one-millionth time.
Eating dried out turkey.
Drinking egg nog or sparkling apple cider.
Singing it’s a Holly Jolly Christmas… while, inside, feeling anything but jolly.
Sure, they may be singing “Joy to the World,” but their true emotions are joyless.
They may give you the highlight reel of the year past, but they leave out the drama.
They may be busy with buying, cooking and wrapping, while having a world of marriage, finances or health crashing down.
They may be proclaiming “Happy Holidays,” only to be deeply grieving those they love.
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.” Mt. 1:23
God with us in the thick of pain.
God with us in the thin of finances.
God with us when we feel happy – or sad.
God with us despite how much others are.
Will our hurting family members get a chance to know “God with us”? How he draws near to the down, dejected and devastated?
Or will they believe that facades of merry and bright are the only outfits allowed?
For others to know “God with us,” they have to see “God in us.”
They have to see how “God in us” has worked life – through us.
This means taking a risk. It means we have to move our usual conversations past ugly Christmas sweater styles, present ratings and the words “Pass the gravy.”
Are you willing to step outside of comfortable to bow down, worship and treasure the small baby – in both word and in action – this Christmas?
Will you make known the cries that moved from a manger to a cross to change everything?
On coming to the house, they (the 3 wise men) saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Mt. 2:11
Lighting up Christmas, is not about lighting up a tree. It is about lighting up our loved ones with the treasure we have in Jesus Christ. It is about lighting what truly matters.
I (Jesus) in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Jo. 17:23
When we light Jesus, we light love. What shines is the one thing that matters most, the one thing that people need and the one thing ready to light the world.
So how do we shine Christ on Christmas?
1. We make his purpose higher than our cause of opening gifts.
2. We are more concerned with sharing Jesus than sharing mashed potatoes.
3. We go to vulnerable places, so hurt ones know it is okay to go there too.
4. We seek to touch a person’s real need, not just their need to be entertained.
5. We seek the quiet of the Lord, so that we can enter into the mayhem of family – with peace.
6. We sit and listen, verses boast, toast and gloat over things in our own lives.
7. We look to serve and honor others above ourself.
8. We pray to discern who the Lord might direct us to.
9. We discuss the Christmas story.
10. We speak about the Savior who saves.
BONUS:We take a risk, even when the risk makes us think others won’t like us.
And those around us will get a chance to know the God who goes with us – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6).
And, the small beginnings of Jesus’ new beginnings will shine. They will shine all-consuming love that touches our houses and hearts with true and long-lasting “merry and bright”.
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We’ve been working on folding shirts a new way, in my two younger kids’ rooms, because the old way, Mom’s way, was not working.
Our new fold is really a cross between rolling and folding. Instead of stacking shirts flat, we place them in their drawers almost upright. The kids are able to see which shirt they’re pulling out before they move anything around, and so the rest of the drawer stays neat. I like neat. 🙂
Our littlest is five, a great age for being a helper. This new fold is something he does well, and he’s excited because he does it all by himself. He often says, “You HAVE TO come see this, Mom! My shirts are so good!”
I gasp and tell him, “I’ve never seen anything so neat (especially in this room)!” And he nods his head, proudly.
We get a little excited around here about new systems for keeping things neat and tidy and well-managed. But there are some things which were never meant to be kept in a drawer, out of the way, folded up tight, and managed.
Psalm 119:30 says, The unfoldingof Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
I wonder, what is this unfolding, and how often do we approach God’s Word this way?
Do you come to this ancient book, ready to unfold the words and let them unfold upon you?
Do you sit long enough to allow layer upon layer to open before your eyes,
lighting the path of your life? Lighting the way to life?
I love to study God’s Word, yet I’m convicted. Sometimes I allow myself to get swept up in the busyness of life, much of that busyness my own making. Then I approach God’s Word as a super-quick fill-up. I know I need it to get through the days, but I don’t always spend the time.
I don’t always approach the Word the way I’d approach a person I love.
I come rushed, asking for what I need, and please, God, drop it on me fast, because I also need to be out the door in a minute.
I hope you don’t hear any condemnation here. I believe God honors any minute we give Him, just as He honors the hours. But sometimes I see a pattern in me, and I wonder if you see the same.
Sometimes I forget this book is a treasure waiting to be unfolded, waiting to give us light.
His Word is alive and divides me in two. It lifts my eyes beyond everything I can see. It lifts my eyes to heaven. It grows my love for Jesus, for others, and even my love for me–as His work of art, His chosen, His beloved, His sister.
Do you unfold His words, and let them unfold upon you?
To unfold means to open. That’s a pretty straightforward starting place. We open His Word and let His words enter into our hearts.
To unfold is also to reveal, which is something the Lord does for us. He unfolds His words upon us, reminding us of truth or revealing truth in a new way.
Finally, to unfold is to interpret or expound, which takes time and the effort to dig in.
God’s Word is a treasure, and any effort we spend unfolding it, manifests in our lives as light and understanding and wisdom.
Lord, Your Word is perfect, and it refreshes our souls. Your Word is trustworthy, making us wise. Your Word is right, giving joy to our hearts. Your Word is radiant, giving light to our eyes. Your Word is righteous and pure. It is firm and endures forever. Your words are more precious than gold. Help us to treasure them, to treasure You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. {adapted from Psalm 19}
Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.
Angela Parlin is Dan’s wife and “Mom” to 3 rowdy boys and 1 sweet girl. In addition to spending time with friends and family, she loves to read and write, spend days at the beach, watch romantic comedies, and organize closets. But most of all, she loves Jesus and writes to call attention to the beauty of life in Christ, even when that life collaborates with chaos. Join her at www.angelaparlin.com, Eyes on Jesus.
Ever felt like you were so close to God, only to somehow fall off-course? To somehow lose your in-step walk with the one who gives all peace, joy and love?
It’s easy to wonder how you got to this place. How you somehow diverted your path from his.
These thoughts plague me. I wonder, how can I avoid this next time, because
a judgement,
a critique,
a frustration,
an irritation,
an aggravation,
anger,
jealousy,
a circumstance,
a catastrophe,
my selfishness,
so often land me in a land miles away from my greatest love.
Like lost child, I lose my maker. It’s not that I don’t want to be with him, but something pulls me off-course: another grabs my attention, an emotion makes me run the other way or a circumstance takes hold. Before I know it, there I stand there – a missing child in a massive world trying to make my way back to my maker.
My once in-step, turned-in, reliant heart on Christ
becomes an out-of-step, out-of-focus, reliant heart on my problems.
I can see what’s around me, but I can’t see him.
I can see people, problems and the past, but I have blocked out his light.
I can see my feelings light as day, but I still feel buried deep in a distant hole.
Unchecked emotions have covered my heart.
And, one thing I am sure of is this: one covered with the unchecked emotions of shame, guilt and regret, can’t be shining the light of Christ’s resurrection, power and love.
One loaded under the weight of unrepented issues, can’t be radiating love and light through the earth.
So, I wonder, which do I have –
a heart covered by the weight of guilt
or a heart uncovered by the flashlight of Christ’s grace?
What God uncovers he uses for his glory. And what is hidden – is just that – hidden.
Hidden things stay covered.
Stay distanced.
Stay embarrassed.
Yet, God calls us “the salt of the earth.” Mt. 5:13
How can people taste salt if they can’t see it?
Instead of being salt-hiders,
we have another option, we can be salt-makers with God.
Do you see it?
Salt is produced by enduring pain, hardships and trials with Christ. As we move into deep intimacy with God, we move into knowledge of how to season other’s hearts. We start to flavor the world with the great testimony of his revealed power in our lives.
Salt is a God’s cleansing agent, and we are it’s salespeople. Let’s represent his holiness well.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
Let’s shine bright to display his light!
We have a light that cannot be contained.
A city set on a hill.
It goes far and wide.
As a beacon of love.
That no one can miss.
That makes opponents flee.
That keeps your heart in safe places.
That endures until we come into his glorious light.
Don’t forget: You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
It’s a beacon of love, a calling to all to come and know him.
Shine! Don’t remove your hand from his, don’t be pulled away from your Father, don’t get lost in the masses, don’t fall down in a pit, just keep revealing your heart to the light-shiner to let your life be transformed with the power of his always-exposed love.
He will never let you down, he will always chase after you the second you are lost. He loves you so much. He has chose you as his own. He is ready to shine so much goodness out of you, if only you will run your problems straight to his great flashlight of grace.
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Oftentimes, all seems well in my Christian life until one small thing happens to completely knock me down.
It could be an unexpected bill.
An unexpected argument.
An unexpected tantrum.
An unexpected suspecting mole.
An unexpected heartache.
An unexpected injury.
But, no matter what kind of unexpected thing comes to tackle me, it usually takes my eyes right off the ball – right off of Jesus.
As one unexpected issue heads at me straight on, another issue comes to pound me, and then another. It’s like everything is set to force me to the floor. All of life’s opponents are after me.
In this moment, I wonder, How can I keep my eyes on Christ
when all I can think about is preserving my life?
Because all I can only see the weight of the issue from this vantage point; I have no sight beyond that. I can only see the weight of things on top of me; the things that are loaded one after another, like a big pile of worry. They keep me from seeing the light. They make me feel like I am suffocating.
They avert my eyes from the light of Christ’s glory and grace. They make me want to run – but their heaviness reminds me – I’m stuck.
How do I release myself from the powerful force of these issues?
Because, one thing I know, one covered, can’t be shining.
One loaded under the weight of issues,
can’t be radiating love and light through the earth.
Either I am uncovered by the grace of Jesus
or I am covered by the weight of worry and fear.
This truth calls me to rise above my momentary troubles. It calls me higher than defeat; it calls me to fly high to grace. To fly high above the problems that plague me to see the beauty that I hold.
Not a ball, but Jesus Christ.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Ro. 8:11
Life is always available through Jesus Christ.
If my life is set to his playbook and I seek to run into the world with his light,
doesn’t he call me to more than defensive living?
Doesn’t he call me out to live offensively?
In the light? With his power? Understanding his grace?
I am being called to lay down my fears so that the love of Christ can shine into my dark places and the world’s dark spaces.
You are the salt of the earth. Mt. 5:13
Then, and only then, will I be able to shine the light he gives me.
I won’t be able to contain it.
I will shine it into the hearts that come against.
Into the situations that seek to tumble me.
It will shine as a beacon of his love, calling all to know and love him.
It’s light will cast away my issues, and illuminate the issues of those around me.
It will light the steps towards love, verses the step towards fear.
The light of Christ makes the difference. It guides us in the way we should go. We no longer have to live defensively, because the light of Christ let’s us move offensively.
The more we think of Jesus, the more we see our issues fade and his light takes over.
We can stop letting the unexpected things throw us down, and instead, let the unextinguishable light of Christ propel us forward.
God says:
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14 Like a lighthouse set on a hill, the light of his love will not contain us. We will radiate love.
“Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” Phil. 2:15 Like stars, our light testifies to the Creator’s majesty. We will draw awe and wonder at the display of his great beauty. The presence of God is displayed through us through light.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 Jo. 1:7 Light = Fellowship, unity and purity. Light draws out love and extinguishes fear.
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Dan. 12:9 As wise children, we shine heaven far and wide to brighten the path to Jesus. We reveal the glory of his eternal destination.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 As torch-bearers, we cast his light into the darkest pits of despair. Glory shines in places where there once was no hope.
“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”1 Thes. 5:5
We stay in the day, where we are safe in his ways. We are children of the light! Our light can never be put out.
Eternal light can never be covered. It will always shine. There is no opponent who can defeat it or unexpected threat who can beat it. We always have hope.
Even more, we serve as the present day light-carriers of Jesus Christ. There is too much at stake, too much important work to do, to allow our lights to get put out. People are desperate for this light. We need this light to thrive and to revive – the world.
Uncover your light, so you may shine bright in Christ.
***Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.
Angela Parlin is Dan’s wife and Mom to 3 rowdy boys and 1 sweet girl. In addition to being with friends and family, she loves to read and write, spend days at the beach, watch romantic comedies, and organize closets. But most of all, she loves Jesus and writes to call attention to the beauty of life in Christ, even when that life collaborates with chaos. Join her each week at 
