Light of the World (Part 2)

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

How are we able to share our testimony and shine for Him if we are hiding?

This becomes the issue. It isn't so much about the mask, but the reason behind the mask. We have to know the reason before we can begin to take off our mask or even change the position of the mask. As we begin to think of those reasons, we really need to take time to sit before the Lord and talk with Him about these things. He will begin to show us how to approach these things that make us want to put on the mask. It is at this point of being real with ourselves and others that we can really shine for the Lord.

There are different things that will have influenced us hiding ourselves and situations.In order to begin to let our light shine, we have to discover why we are in hiding. Is it fear? Uncomfortable to be real at times? Is it to escape judgment? Why are we in hiding in the first place?

Comfort should not stop how we allow God to use us. If it was about comfort, I wouldn't have mentioned my own mask in the last blog. I'd share about the mask of someone else and how they have chosen to hide themselves from the world, which limited their testimony. It is definitely not about comfort.

Will others judge us when we openly share our testimony? Yes at times, they will. Some will be judged more than others. I am reminded of what Matthew 5:10 says: "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." (NLT) Doing right will bring persecution. Doing right also brings something much stronger:: God's blessings! God will continue to bless us as we take off the mask and let our light shine! Alot of times, we stop speaking when others come after us or speak ill about our vulnerability to share. We need to keep speaking, even when it's difficult. God will keep on strengthening us and giving us the words to speak. He will also show us how to be a light in how we live.

If a mask is put on to protect ourselves from fear, we owe it to ourselves and God to see what we fear? Fear does not come from the Lord, but peace does. Often times if I am fearful to do something, I know that means I need to do it. Fear may be something to derail us when others need to hear our story and know how God is working in our lives.

Also some put on their mask, because it is easier than being their true selves, It may be "easier", because we will blend in. We will be conforming to the world, but we are not to conform. We need to be a bright light shining for the world to see. We need to stand out and offer ourselves fully to God--even when it means sharing our lives when it is anything but easy. Some may think it is easier, because there is less judgment or the fear won the fight. It may be easier, because we give into the urge to not show our testimony and how God is working in our lives. It is easier to give into feeling rather than the truth that we need to be real and let our light brightly shine. A lot of us want to hide who we are. Others may not understand. Others may leave us. Others may judge us. Others may... do lots of things. We owe it to ourselves to be real, and show our true selves. We owe to God to brightly shine for Him--showing His great love through how He has worked in our lives.

Many things can keep us in the place of hiding ourselves, but we have been given a testimony. Our testimony is nothing to hide. God is working in our lives, which is worthy of sharing for all to hear. It doesn't matter what particular way He is working. We need to proclaim it that God is working in our lives! How we could open up and be real looks different for each person. This is why it is so important to take time to go before Him and seek the reasons for the masks and hiding. Take time in prayer to talk with God about the reasons of the mask. Talk to Him about the struggle you feel. He is ready and able to help and strengthen you!

We need to take the time and see how God is using us to be a light to the world? We need to be willing to be real and share with others how God is working in our lives. We need to be willing to share who we really are without fear or anything else preventing us from speaking.

Light to the World (Part 1)

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

So often we hide.
We hide our true selves.
We hide our circumstances.
We hide how we feel.
Sometimes, we hide due to fears.
Other times, we hide to escape judgment.
Sometimes people tell us to hide in some ways, by their words about what we may share.
Past situations can make us want to hide.

Whatever our reasons may be, we often hide. We could all fess up to hiding in one way or another, when we could have been a brighter light to the world around us. The person hiding could be the person who appears to have it all together at church on Sunday morning, and their life is actually a mess. It could be our neighbor, friend, or someone else. Nobody is exempted from the possibly of hiding themselves (or parts of themselves) even the ones who seem to have it all together. It is something that probably everyone has faced at one time or another. It is easy to put on a mask of who we want (or need) to be to others, and for a while--it works. However who we are will still remain, and our testimonies will not shine as bright. We are in costume and not letting ourselves be used by God to help others. In 2 Corinthians, we are told that we are to comfort others in difficult times just as we have been comforted. We have to be willing to share, in order to experience comfort from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We have to share to give comfort.

I wrote about hiding, because God is showing me today that it can make our light less bright to the world. We may think "it doesn't matter or even affect my relationship with Christ", but God wants to use our whole testimony without us hiding parts of it, by not sharing how He is working in us. Hiding parts of us or our lives affects our walk with Christ. It affects our relationships. It affects us as individuals. We can lie and say we are okay, but it affects us still the same whether we admit it or not. I know all too well how easy it is to stay in hiding and ignore the brighter testimony I could be sharing.

Let me explain a little bit about my own mask: I have two noticible ones that I can see right on the spot. The first is how God is freeing me from the sin of gluttony. Gluttony is a sin that isn't talked about much in the Church. It is a vital testimony that is worthy of sharing, even if others do not see it as such. 

The second one is this: I have two facebook accounts to "hide" part of my life on one facebook. In some ways, it is to hide parts of my life. IE) Find another outlet to help me as I deal with chronic illnesses. The second facebook has really become an outlet. However, I risk putting on a mask by not talking about those things out of fear, anxiety, and judgments. In a lot of ways, it is easier and safer to talk about certain things like this on one particular account. It is this process that is showing me I need to find a way to balance my life. How can I be real on both? So in a sense, my problem is learning how to let that brighter light shine wherever I go. It is a matter of balancing who I am and how I approach the world. It doesn't matter how we "cope" with our mask. A mask is still a mask. Our light could be brighter. In some ways, having two accounts has freed me in sharing my testimony in a brighter way for one, but has dimmed it for the other. I am learning how to blend those two aspects of my life into one. It is a matter of giving everything over to the Lord and allowing my light to shine brighter as I come out of hiding. The question to be asked is: What hinders us from shining brighter for Christ?

We need to evaluate ourselves and see how we are living and sharing our testimony. Are we hiding our light? Is God doing something in our lives that we are unwilling to boldly share? Sharing our testimony allows God to use us to teach, encourage, and minister to others. He also teaches and ministers to us. It is when we know the reason of why we hide that we can begin to open ourselves up to begin to be a brighter light to the world with our whole testimony showing.

Part two::How are we able to share our testimony and shine for Him if we are hiding?