Be The Light

There came a time when my husband didn’t even want to be around me. He became more and more distant. He questioned our relationship and whether or not we were right for each other, and I didn’t understand. Yes, we were having a hard time, but we had been together since high school; it was always us against the world. How could we go from being each other’s best friend, to barely being able to have a conversation. I was worried about the state of our relationship as well, but I never thought that we would get to the point of no return. My hope was that we would figure out a way to move forward, but he continually pushed me away.

I took it personally, at first. I felt like he was trying to punish me for something that I was unaware of. Even the way that he treated me, was off. He spoke to me different, and looked at me different. It was almost like he was a different person, and he saw me as someone other than his wife. For months, I prayed that God would work in my husband’s heart, and for God to breath life into our marriage. But one particular day, as I worshiped, I felt the Holy Spirit say, “what if you were the only light in his life.”

And I thought about that. My husband had been in a season of depression at the time. I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me that what my husband needed was a light in the midst of his darkness.

So, I began to change my habits whenever I was around him. Instead of acting out of my disappointment, I thought of ways to brighten his day. Instead of constantly questioning him, giving him the silent treatment, or having an attitude, I began to cook for him again. I began asking him what he needed help with. I began to help with anything that would lighten his load. And most importantly, I began to smile again. When I saw him, my face lit up in delight and I showed him that I was grateful for him, proud of him, and that I loved him, regardless of his feelings towards me.

Now, understand that all of this behavior was unwarranted. At the time, we were separated. My husband had expressed that he didn’t have any plans to reconcile our relationship. And when he came to visit, it was solely to spend time with the kids. So all of this was hard. It was not a cake walk. There were days that I put my all into being there, and my efforts were ignored. But I kept going, because I believed that this is what God wanted me to do. I believed that the Holy Spirit was showing me that this was the way that He would heal my marriage.

Did my husband deserve it? No. But neither do we deserve the grace and mercy of God in our lives. None of us are worthy.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:23-24 NLT)

If Jesus freed us from the penalty of our sins, what right do we have to hold on to the sins of those that hurt us?

Treat others the way that you want to be treated. I know this sounds like a cliché. This is what we tell our kids when they go to school. But, this is also what our heavenly Father expects of us.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT)

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37 NLT)

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! (Matthew 18:21-22 NLT)

As followers of Christ, we are not to reflect the customs of this world, but we are to reflect the character of Christ in all we do.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

But why? Why should we live our lives in a manner that reflects Christ, instead of conforming to this world? Because that is our purpose. We were created in His image; we were design to bring Him glory in everything.

God created us to be a reflection of Him, on this earth.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 NLT)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV)

But, we live in a fallen world, where God’s purpose for our lives has been distorted. We live to satisfy our fleshly desires, instead of seeking to further the kingdom of God on this earth. We must understand that it's not all about us. Our lives are not all about us. We are here as vessels in the hands of our Creator, to do whatever He would ask of us. We are here to show this fallen world the truth about our God, so that they might have everlasting life.

During our separation, my husband was not only distant from me, but he was distant from God. The Holy Spirit wanted me to realize that I wasn’t put on this earth to live a comfortable and ordinary life. But as a daughter of the Most High, I was put here to share the love of Christ with those around me, including my husband.

God loves those that are far from Him, just as much as He loves those that are at the foot of the cross.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:12-14 NLT)

He leaves the ninety-nine to save the one.

This is the God that we serve. He desires to use us to reach his children that are lost. We are His ambassadors here on this earth. We have a responsibility, because when we declare that we are followers of Christ, that declaration holds weight. And the problem, is that it holds weight whether we actually live as followers of Christ or not.

But I am convinced that we do not take our responsibility seriously. There are many children of God that are running from their perception of who God is. They want nothing to do with God because they believe Him to be judgmental, angry, unforgiving, etc.. They believe God to be like the Christian that shunned them, or the one that made them feel like they weren’t good enough. But Christ has called us to show them otherwise. He wants us to showcase who He really is. He’s called us to reflect His true identity.

Jesus is the light of the world, but He wants us to know that we are the light of the world, as well.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT)

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)

Jesus is saying that we are on display, so what we do matters. When we allow the light of Christ to shine through us, our heavenly Father is glorified. But we must also understand that this means that when our lights aren’t shining, God is not glorified through our lives.

This is why God wanted me to be the light in my husband’s life. My husband needed a revelation of who God really is. It’s hard to share the love of Christ with someone while living a life that depicts otherwise. My husband needed authenticity, he needed something tangible.

God told me that He put me in my husband’s life for a reason. And at that time, I was supposed to focus my attention on allowing the light of Jesus to flow through me. This is how this whole things works. God uses people to reach people. We are vessels in the hands of the creator of the universe.

When God created the earth, the first thing He said was “Let there be light.” Not the light of the sun, moon, and stars, as they hadn’t been created yet. But the light of Jesus needed to be present in the situation first, before the Glory of God could flow into the situation.

The light of Jesus is what proceeds the power of God in the earth.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5 NLT)

This is why, as followers of Christ, we are called to be the light in this world of darkness. When we allow the light of Jesus to flow through us, it becomes an opportunity for the power of God to move into the situation.

Our light opens the door for Jesus to reach the people in our lives.

After a while, my husband started to realize that something was different about me. He noticed that I was no longer pointing the finger at him, and he began to soften his heart towards me. Instead of just focusing on the kids, he began to want to spend time together as a family again. He let his guard down. And as we grew closer, I could see God’s hand working in my husband’s heart and life.

It wasn’t immediate, but my husband began to have an interest in hearing about God again. He started watching sermons with me, we began to pray together, and eventually, we attended church together for the first time in over five years.

I am beyond blessed to have been able to see Jesus at work. I’ve seen how He pursued my husband. I've seen Jesus completely turn my husband’s life upside down, just to build him into the man that he is today.

I’ve witnessed my husband lay down his dream career to follow Jesus’ plan for his life. He’s sacrificed everything, to lead our family along the path that God has for us. He is completely sold out to God and His purpose for our lives.

My children are blessed because they have a father that is not only present, but he sits down and tells them about what Jesus has done in his life, and he teaches them the word of God. And I am blessed, because I have a husband that leads me and covers me with the word of God.

I could not have known that my choice to be a light in my husband’s life would result in all of this. And I haven’t shared this story to be boastful in anyway, but I want to show how powerful the light of Jesus is… the light that is expressed through us.

What if your smile is all that is needed for Jesus to begin His work in the life of your husband. What if your acts of kindness could open the door for the light of Jesus to flow into his life. What if your forgiveness could be a conduit for your husband’s salvation. This is how powerful your light is. Don’ t hide your light; let it shine. Allow Jesus to use you, so that His plan can prevail through your life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for shining the light of Jesus into my life. Thank you for pursuing me, and transforming me into who I am today. I pray that you would continue to renew my mind, so that I can be a reflection of you here on this earth. Holy Spirit, I pray that you would remind me daily that I am here for a purpose. I am here as a representative of Christ. I am here to allow the light of Jesus to flow through me, and onto those that surround me. I pray that you would relentlessly pursue my husband, my family, and anyone else in my sphere of influence. May they have a revelation of who you really are. And show me how to be more like you, so that they can experience your love in a tangible way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.