In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus says, "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."
As children in Sunday School we sing about shining our "little light" and being a "sunbeam" for Jesus. As we get older, we start to appreciate how difficult it can be to keep that "little light" burning in such a dark world - how easy it is to put that light "under a bowl" and just blend in, unnoticed in the darkness once in a while. We are tempted to think, much like the world does, that our "light" is all about us - our talents and successes or even "random acts of kindness" that bring praise and recognition from others.
As we examine the words of Jesus in Matthew 5, however, we realize that shining our light really has very little to do with us. The end goal of shining this light is not to draw attention to ourselves like some kind of spotlight, but instead to cause others to see Jesus and to glorify Him.
So how do we accomplish this? How can we "shine" in a way that draws others to Jesus and not to ourselves? Galatians 2:20 says " I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." If we are truly living as though Christ is living in us, the light we show the world can only result in Christ being glorified. To do that, though, we have to know Him - REALLY know him.
You have probably read or seen stories about actors who totally immerse themselves in the life of the person they will be depicting in a movie or play. At one point the actor even begins walking and talking like this person - in some cases to the point where it is hard to tell the actor from the original! How many of us can say that we know Jesus like that, such that daily responses to people and situations we encounter mirror those of Jesus?
I would love you tell you that I have reached this level of spiritual maturity, but I cannot. There are still many times that I look the other way when I see someone in need, and other times when I do something "good" with the wrong motives. But I long to be more like Him and want others to know Him too.
So, that's really the purpose of this blog and of the little Etsy shop that belongs to Sonbeam Creative. The name comes from the old children's song (with a "clever" twist) that says "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam." The desire is that as we continue to grow closer to Jesus, it will be His light that shines through our words in this blog and the products that we put out into the dark world. We hope that you will join us as we continue to explore what it means to "shine."
I'll Be a Sunbeam
by Nellie Talbot
- Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.- Refrain:
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.
- Refrain:
- Jesus wants me to be loving,
And kind to all I see;
Showing how pleasant and happy,
His little one can be. - I will ask Jesus to help me
To keep my heart from sin;
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him. - I’ll be a sunbeam for Jesus,
I can if I but try;
Serving Him moment by moment,
Then live for Him on high.
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