Originally published Wednesday, 31 October 2012.
"This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…"
I am thinking of this Sunday School sing-along song right now, as I read back through some of the comments on the post about our answered prayers for getting rid of the mice that were in our house from last winter.
Comments like: “I love this story! Such a great reminder that God cares about every detail of our lives!” And, “I love how big and how small God is; big enough to speak our universe into being and small enough to fill a single heart. I always thought felt silly praying for ‘little’ things, but I'm not starting to realize that praying about those little things gives us faith for the ‘mountains.’”
As I ponder those comments, it just so happens that my Bible beside me is open to Psalm 22, which I’d flipped open to look something up for a Sunday School lesson I’m teaching. It’s the Psalm that Jesus quotes on the cross, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?”
Here, David is begging God to rescue him from his enemies. In verse 22 of the Psalm, he writes, “Then I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among all your people.”
There were times when I struggled with this verse because of one little word: “then.” I thought it was like a bargaining chip. “Okay, God, if you rescue me, then I’ll praise you.”
But as I read this in light of that post and those comments, I realize that I don’t believe that’s the case.
Instead, it seems like it's just a mere fact: Like saying, God, when you are active in my life, I will tell everyone about it! It will be an outpouring from my lips that I cannot contain! I will share my testimony of your love and grace and mercy in my life with everyone around me.
And I feel like that is one of the beautiful opportunities that my blog, Life Blessons, provides: a place to do that, to “declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters.”
And not just the big things—like getting healed of a skin disease. But also the little things—like an answered prayer about having mice leave our house. Sometimes people can scoff at those little things, chalk them up to coincidence or roll their eyes at the fact that I would pray about a silly little mouse when I can just hire an exterminator.
Honestly, those are the excuses I have to fight when I post some of these testimonies.
But in those moments, I am like David, who cannot help but point to my God say, “Look! Look what he has done for me! Look at that love, at that mercy, even over a silly little mouse!” There is that yearning within me to share these testimonies about all that the Lord hath done in my life through this little blog of mine.
And that’s where I go back to that Sunday School singalong song: “This little light of mine…”
In its original context in Matthew 5, Jesus gives the Beatitudes and then launches into teaching about salt and light, saying: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
So it is really talking about how our actions and behavior will be “lights” for the faith that is alive in our hearts. As James says, “’I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.’”
Yet, as I think about this passage in, ahem, light of the mice and my answered prayer and the appreciative comments on that post, it got me thinking about light from another aspect: How our testimonies of what God has done in our lives give light to God’s glory, and how we must not hide them under a basket. As the Matthew passage says, “Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.”
My blog, humble as it may be, is a stand for me, a place for me to put those testimonies up on display and shout out, “Look! Look what God has done!”
Carmen writes the blog, Life Blessons, which provides an intimate look into her life as a twentysomething woman as she details her experiences learning how to live out her faith, enjoy the simple things in life and be the woman God created to her to be. Along the way, she shares the blessings and lessons that are a part of this journey, the things she likes to call her "blessons."
Feel free to learn more at her blog, Life Blessons.
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My Testimony: Learning About God's Loyalty Firsthand
Testimony: A Series About God at Work In Your Life
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