My mom has used the same cleaning lady, Denise, since before I can remember.
Every other week on Thursdays, I would rush to pick up all of my stuff and throw it in my room, and I’d come home from school to my favorite smell—PineSol.
I knew that Denise and my mom had become friends over the years … she would stay and chat for a few minutes after cleaning, and watch our dog when we were out of town. But what I didn’t know was that the entire time we’ve used her at our home, my mom was intentionally being a light.
Denise would leave our house having been prayed over, given some CD’s with applicable sermons, or invited to church.
She’s now a regular at my mom’s Bible study with her daughter, and made mention recently of things she’s observed over the years … a kindness and grace in my mom that stood out to her.
In those moments with Denise, my mom was actively living out Matthew 5:14 as a “light of the world.” It reminded me of some wisdom Pastor Carter shares in “You are the Light”—an upcoming series on It’s Time to Pray this February:
“A lighthouse is only a tourist attraction until the darkness comes. When natural light is gone, its light—set in a high and visible place—sends a beam of hope and guidance that can literally be seen for miles. It helps people navigating the seas of this life to find a place of safety in God. And so it is with you and I. God has set us upon a hill with him … a place where eternal safety is still offered to all who are trying to get through the troubled seas of this world.”
Just as my mom was for Denise, it’s time for the light of Christ to shine through us with clarity and compassion … for our hearts to truly become a lighthouse.
It’s time for us to shine for Jesus.
It’s time to pray.
If you already air It’s Time to Pray, this 10-feature series will begin airing February 1st! If you’re not yet airing and would like to start, contact me!
