Hidden Darkness or Light?

Luke 11:34 & 35 "³⁴Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness."

 Growing up my father was a meat and potatoes man. This meant every meal had to have gravy, a hunk of well cooked meat, potatoes and always dessert. Veggies were optional or, if available, generally overcooked. Today we are more educated on the importance of a balanced healthy lifestyle, complete with steamed vegetables and low carb meals. Many people ensure they are taking the right vitamins and get regular exercise. We are not always so vigilant about ensuring our spiritual life is as healthy.

An Ophthalmologist friend of mine says that she can tell by looking at her patients eyes if they have various diseases or if they are healthy. Yet it doesn't take a medical degree to know when you talk to your friend that they are happy. Their eyes sparkle.

What we put into our lives is just as important. Our attitudes, what we spend our time doing and where our focus is, all has an impact on who we are. With our attitudes for instance, the Bible says how important it is to forgive.

Did you know that this command is as much for your benefit as it is for the other person? Maybe even more! When you don't forgive the anger builds up inside you and keeps adding up every time something new makes you angry. Over the years it turns into a seething mass waiting to spring on some unsuspecting victim.

If you find yourself drowning in negative emotion, you will be happy to know that most of God's commandments in the Bible have a positive effect on our lives if we are willing to give them a try! They help you live a more happy life because you get rid of all the garbage you are carrying. Kind of like Spring Cleaning, following His commands keeps the sparkle in your eye, gives you a fresh outlook on each day, keeps your step light and puts a smile on your face. Yes it is work and it is not always easy, but the results are more rewarding then keeping the garbage around!


As we were walking along a trail in Tanzania, I quickly snapped a photo of the flowers above. It was not until I enlarged the photo to make sure it was focused that I noticed that, like the anger that we sometimes hide in our lives, a hornet was cleverly hidden among the pedals. What do people see when they take a closer look at you? Are you ready to sting or waiting to share your light?

At the heart of things

Luke 14:1-6  ¹One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. ²There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. ³Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" ⁴But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.
 ⁵Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" ⁶And they had nothing to say."

 It is such a relief to learn that Jesus is not all about rules. The Pharisees took the commandment from God to "remember the Sabbath day" so literally that they would not work on the Sabbath (or "God's day" Saturday for them, Sunday for us), but what Jesus so skillfully shows them is that they missed the point AND they took the commandment out of context.

The point was that the commandment was to "take a break" from the busyness of life, spend time with God so you remember the important things (like how to treat people) and remember to take time for family and friends. The Sabbath was for our benefit not because God "needed" to be worshiped, but so that we could have a great life. A life with meaning and purpose. I mean let's face it, if God IS God then he can create any number of things, people, angels to worship Him, he certainly doesn't need us to worship Him!

The "out of context" part of this story was that the Pharisees made up laws all around "remembering the Sabbath" but forgot to include the other commandments in those laws...like "love your neighbor as you love yourself"! So here was this guy that needed healing...Jesus was the guy that could do it, and instead of the Pharisees getting all excited that Jesus could heal this guy, they want to see if Jesus will keep their "don't work on the Sabbath" law. They were trying to use the guy to try and trap Jesus into disobeying a commandment. Thankfully Jesus gets to the heart of the law and stands up for the little guy, heals him and sends him on his way. Hmmm, I think they missed the point.

I think we miss the point too sometimes. Have you gotten so caught up in trying to make your life perfect or trying to be perfect that you have missed the point? Hmmm, I can honestly say I have...many times.

I am glad that God doesn't make the same mistake. He is quick to forgive when we get selfish and self-centered (which is too often) and remind us that we are important to Him, encouraging us to try again. And you know...the more time I spend with Him, the better I seem to be at understanding His heart.