Last Tuesday, in “The Light, Part 1”, we saw from my bad habit of reading while walking my dog in the dark that when we focus our lights on the world around us, we begin to see things from God’s perspective. We see the path in front and the potential traps the devil sets to ensnare us, and even more importantly, our lights are there to help others.
There was just one detail to my “walk in the dark” story that I failed to outline in Part 1. You see, when I read on my morning walks, it isn’t exactly for pleasure. What I am really doing is praying through my prayer list, and when I shine the light on my page, I am simply looking to see who is next on the list.That’s not a bad thing, right? I mean, though I may be focussing on the page instead of the road, this habit is truly directed by completely unselfish motives. We are admonished to pray for one another, right?
Yet, even though my motives are pure, my habit does continue to put me at risk of weaving all over the road, stumbling over cracks and slipping into the drainage ditch, and my habit does encroach upon my dog’s comfort. And then there is the incident with my neighbor. What must he have thought? He didn’t know I was consulting my list to know who to pray for. Instead, he went away thinking at the very least that I am hopelessly addicted to my reading material…
Yes, the Bible tells me I am: “…the light of the world–like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” (Matt. 5:14 NLT), and the Bible tells me to“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Eph. 6:18 NLT; see alsoJames 5:16,1 Tim 2:1,Phil 5:14, etc). But the Bible also tells us two other vital things:
1. What other people think is important. We are in no wayto cause another to stumble: “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matt. 18:6 NLT); and
2. I am to put the needs of others ahead of my own: “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3 NLT).
In our walk through life, our spiritual light is not there only for our own assistance. It is especially there to help others, and according to the above text in Philippians, it is vital that we be considering their needs above our own.
Yes, in praying through my prayer list, I am considering the needs of others above my own; however, the act of doing so in the dark kept my light from being a benefit to another of God’s creation. In other words, there is a time and a place for every good deed, and whatever we are doing, no matter how pure and important, may need to wait (Isn’t this a Truth that comes directly from the world’s wisest man? SeeEccl. 3!).
Let me try to illustrate what I am trying to say here…
I was a member of our church’s choir. That is a good thing, right? I was singing to the glory of God, and my participation in the choir helped others to worship as well. But then God called me to cohost a GriefShare program. The time required for that would use up all the available time I had, and besides, it would take place on the same evening as choir practice. If I obeyed, I wouldn’t be able to continue with choir. After plenty of prayer, I dropped out of choir and began assisting with GriefShare. I am continually amazed at the lives that have been touched as a result.
The point is this: we may be engaged in “good” things, things that God may have called us to do (for didn’t He call us to pray for one another?); however, the moment that “good” thing gets in the way of something that, in the moment, is even more important, this is when that “good” thing becomes like that millstone Jesus talked about (seeMatt 18:6). That’s when we need to remember Paul’s advice to the Romans: “We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.” (Romans 15:1-2 NLT).
The next time you are tempted to pass up an opportunity to help someone because you are already engaged in doing something that is good, remember that no matter what, our first priority is to hold up those who are weak!
There is one last lesson to be learned from my early-morning walk in the dark with my prayer list…Join us Saturday for “The Light, Part 3”.
In His love
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, andScriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, withAnswers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
(To access tne entire “The Light” mini-series, please click here.)