Glowing in the Dark

               One evening a few years ago I was closing the back door before going to bed.  I saw something very unusual on the lanai.  It was a pair of green glowing eyes.  I must admit I was a little freaked out.  However, I had to explore what it was.  I am used to seeing lightning bugs from my Midwest homeland, but it wasn’t a firefly.  As I got closer to it, I discovered that it was a bug with two glowing spots resembling eyes.  I later found out that it was a glowing click beetle.  In Cuba they are called “Cocujo”.  The click beetle glows because of a mixture of chemicals.  God created these little creatures with a purpose: to glow in the dark.

            Jesus met with His disciples in Matthew 5 and gave them an important message.  He informs them of their purpose in Matt. 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”.  Just as the click beetle is designed to glow in the dark so are we as Christ’s followers.  The world is a spiritually dark place.  We should let our light shine.  How can we do that?

            We can glow in the dark when we display the beautiful character of Christ in our lives.  Just as the Creator put something inside that beetle that results in a beautiful glow, He also put Christ in us.  We should display the beauty of His love, His joy, His peace, His kindness, and His mercy. We can glow in the dark when we do good things for others.  When the world sees our good works, they will glorify our Father (Matt. 5:16).  We can also glow in the dark when we shine the light of the gospel to others.  We should not hide the gospel under a basket or even within the confines of our church. Christ calls us to let His gospel shine to every corner of this dark world. As we walk in the light we should glow in the dark.