"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12
This world is full of darkness - our LIFT class was reminded of that these past 2 weeks from the people we interacted with, to the stories that we heard. But God reminded me yesterday that it is a choice to either walk in the darkness or walk in HIS light.
We had a woman named Maria come into the physical therapy clinic last week because she had taken a bad fall. We soon discovered that she had a broken hip and when she came back the following week (this week), we discovered that she had internal bleeding. We told her and her husband that she needed to go to the hospital as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there is both a lack of money and a lack of understanding. They did not understand the severity of the situation. After they left we continued to pray for them and reach out to them to see if they would be taking Maria to the hospital. The next day, we headed to the city hall to lead workouts for a senior citizen group that meets there every Thursday. As I sat in the city hall waiting for our time to go up front, I began praying for Maria. As I prayed, I began to cry. It was heartbreaking to know that it was a lack of money and a lack of understanding keeping her from getting the treatment she needed. But then we were called up, so I quickly wiped the tears from my face and put on a smile for the senior citizens. And in that moment God reminded me that I am called to love the person in front of me. Though my heart breaks for Maria, those senior citizens in front of me needed my love just as much as she did.
There are millions of Maria's in this world; there are millions of people in this world who are walking through darkness and who need hope.
But we serve a God who is greater than any internal bleeding.
A God who is greater than any abusive alcoholic.
A God who is greater than any physical ailment.
A God who is greater than any brain tumor.
A God who is greater than any poverty.
Our God is greater than any darkness this world can bring.
Therefore, we have HOPE and we are called to share this hope with others.
In John 8:12, Jesus says we have the light of life. Therefore we cannot get caught up in the darkness of this world if we’re going to love the person in front of us because the person in front of us needs to see Christ’s love through us just as much as the last.
The past 2 weeks has given even greater meaning to what we memorized in the Sermon on the Mount:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16
Each and every one of us is called to be a light for Christ. We have the greatest hope of all but the only way that we can share that hope and be a light is if we are abiding in Christ. John 15 says that a branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine and neither can we unless we abide in Christ. I pray that we can all do that so that God may be glorified and His kingdom multiplied.
With love and hope,
Xena Bartlett
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