Years ago, after completing high school, a Christian girl managed to
break into the work force.
The first day of work showed her she
was hardly ready to deal with the things the "real world" was going to
direct her way. The lurid language of her fellow employees, the ungentle
jokes of her boss as well as the cruel comments made by almost everyone
shocked her.
Shaken, she returned home and told her parents she
wasn't going back.
Before she had finished sharing her lament,
her father interrupted. It was something he seldom did. Dad asked,
"Honey, where do you put a light?"
She stumbled in her one-person
rant, thought for a second, and then decided to ignore what her father
had asked. She continued to tell her parents about what she had endured.
Her topic-changing father asked again: "Where do you put a light?"
Exasperated, she replied, "Dad, what does that question have to do
with what I'm saying? What do you mean? You put a light where it's
dark."
"Good," said her dad.
Making use of the break in
his daughter's litany of offenses she had endured, he quickly continued:
"Honey, the Lord has put you into a place where you, a Christian, are
being given the opportunity to reflect the light of Jesus. You are to
shine His light into a dark place. Go to work tomorrow, and let His
light be shown and shared with those folks in the darkness, so they can
see Jesus. Your mother and I shall pray that their darkness will not
undermine you or cause your witness of faith to flicker."
I like
Christian fathers who talk that way.
Unlike the weak and wimpy
dads who are shown on TV, real Christian fathers have wisdom, insight,
and a spirit of encouragement. For example, this father knew Job was
right when he had said evil and darkness come and a man's life can be
turned upside down by the cruelty of a sinful world.
But this
Christian father also knew these things do not have the final word.
Jesus does.
That's the fact he shared with his daughter. Then
this particular father went one step further: he practiced what he was
preaching; He reflected the light of the Savior into the darkness his
daughter had encountered.
I have little doubt he and mom will
continue to do so in the days and weeks to come.
To counter and
conquer the evil, the sin, the circumstance, we have been given a
Savior. His perfect life, His innocent death, His victorious
resurrection bring light and hope to defeat darkness and discouragement.
As dad said, "We are being given the opportunity to reflect the
light of Jesus."
God grant we do.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord,
life can dish out a fair share of nastiness. Enough of that stuff long
enough can make things pretty dismal and dark. Grant us the grace to see
and walk in the light of the Lord Jesus. Even more, dear Lord, let us
share the Savior with others. In His Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries All rights reserved; not to be duplicated without permission.
