Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12).”
Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life” and founder of Saddleback Church, made one of the most remarkable statements, when his youngest son, Matthew, took his own life after struggling with depression for many years. When asked in an interview how he was dealing with this tragedy, he said, “I do not need an explanation from God. I just need God.” There are many people around us who struggle with loneliness, hopelessness, and pain of all kinds. They long for the dark nights to end and the sun to rise, and hope to get some relief from their suffering. Even a brief respite is welcome to give them a chance to breathe and help them make it through another day. All the clichés that well-meaning people like to say, such as “God is good,” “God is in control,” or “God loves you,” sometimes seem ingenuine, that they actually make the situation worse. Whenever I pray for someone who is suffering, my prayer is simply that the person feels the presence of God. God has His will, and I trust in His perfect plan. My only desire is for the person to have the strength to make it through the storm and come out unscathed. The sense of suffering from whatever cause, is an emotional affliction that is vague and subjective. This cannot be corrected by logic, and one cannot explain the pain away by pointing out the lack of reason for having it. The only way to dispel the perception of darkness in the suffering person’s mind, is to replace it with an overwhelming experience of love. When our acts of kindness make the person in need feel that we truly care, we help them feel the presence of God. In this state of divine awareness, the person can transcend the pain and become a mere observer of his or her suffering and exempt from experiencing its sting. People will not believe that God is good and He cares for them, just because you said so. They will only believe that God truly loves them and He will sustain them, because of the love you made them feel. When we imitate how Jesus treated people, we shine His light on others and allow them to understand the kind of love He gives. In turn, they feel God’s love flow to them through us. Truly, Jesus is the light of the world who can dispel darkness in our lives.
To be more like Jesus, we need to know how He lived His life and learn about His teachings. In the gospel of John 4:7-10, we saw how Jesus reached out to the Samaritan woman despite the prevailing tradition at the time barring Jews from interacting with other races. In the gospel of Luke 19:1-9, not only did Jesus reach out to Zacchaeus, an outcast of society because of his dishonesty as a tax-collector, He even invited Himself to be Zacchaeus’s guest at his home. In John 8:3-11, when the teachers of the law brought in a woman caught in adultery for Jesus to condemn, He surprised them by saying, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” After all her accusers left, Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” In John 11:1-37, we saw how Jesus comforted Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died. Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled,” and wept. In Luke 23:32-43, at His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for the people who tortured and murdered Him saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And to one of the criminals crucified beside him who said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom,” he replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus showed us by His examples how we could shine His light on others and how we can be the light illuminating the path that leads to Him. Everyday, we are presented with many opportunities to accept His invitation to be the one to be the light for others.
In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 12:6-8, he said, “God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
There are many people I’ve come to know who inspired me by their selfless acts of service. They serve God by serving others. They shine God’s light on the world by their acts of kindness and love. We all serve God in different ways, and every form of service is equal in importance in the eyes of God. A friend and co-worker of mine cut down her work hours significantly to become the sole caretaker of her two elderly parents who have serious chronic medical problems. They are in and out of the hospital and back and forth to the doctor’s clinic. Her days and nights are consumed by their daily needs. My cousin’s wife takes care of her father-in-law as if he is her own father. He is elderly and has serious medical problems, and her dedication is unparalleled. She has her own medical issues too, but it seems like she puts his needs above hers. One of my business partners has four children of his own, and he and his wife adopted three more children to help give them a better future. In so doing, they gave up a lot of the their own comfort to make the lives of three less fortunate children more comfortable. My wife is ever the giver. She gives generously to those who are in need, whether they are family or strangers. Her heart is tugged easily, and God made her like that for a reason. One of my closest friends has a wife and three young children and runs a small business. Even when he is tired from work or from doing housework, he would play with the kids when they ask him to, and he never skips out on giving them a bath or putting them to bed every night. His kids need him, and he is always there for them. God entrusted him with those kids, and he serves God by caring for them like God wants him to. I know a nun who is also a friend. Her life in the convent is very simple and devoid of most of the modern conveniences we enjoy. She dedicated her life to educating children who are less fortunate. She goes wherever the mother superior assigns her to serve. Hers is a life of self-denial. Truly, a life lived for others. All these people answered God’s call to serve Him. They all chose to be the light for someone’s world.
In the gospel of Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Let us be the one who would love those the world tells us not to love, love those who are not easy to love, and love those who do not love us back.
Let us be the one who would do what is right, even if the world tells us it’s impractical to do so, even if the cost of doing so is too high, and even if no one else wants to do so.
Let us be the one who would speak for those who cannot, defend those who are not able to, and meet the needs of those who have no ability to do it on their own.
Let us be the light of the world and make a difference in the lives of others, one person at a time.