This Little Light of Mine

One day last week, I was awakened in the dark hours of the morning by the call of nature.  Drowsy and muddle-brained, I stumbled to the bathroom to take care of business.  As I sat there, blinking to clear the sleep from my eyes, I caught sight of something in my peripheral vision. I stared into the darkness of the hallway (I had not turned on a light so as not to disturb anyone else during my nighttime escapade) and noticed a small, vivid green light on the floor. As far as I could tell, the pinpoint of light was coming from beside, or possibly on top of, the air vent. I stared at it in confusion for a moment, then it went out.

Imagining I had been seeing things, I shook my head, but then I saw it again, this time brighter than before.  It remained steady for several seconds, then flickered and extinguished completely.  By this time, I was baffled.  Forsaking my intentions of not disturbing anyone else's rest, I turned on the bathroom light and walked over to examine the glow.  For a moment, I still couldn't determine what I had seen, but then the light resumed to its full brilliance.  AHA!

I had the privilege of seeing a firefly like I had never seen before.  First of all, it was bright green like some of the indicator lights on my electronics, not the typical white, yellow or blue I often see. Second, it didn't flash its light in the usual fashion but rather displayed it in sustained bursts.  Third, it was not flying but rather lying on its back, struggling to turn itself over.

As I stumbled back to bed, a thought struck me.  I'm just like that little bug.  The trying circumstances of life have flipped me upside down, and I don't know which way to turn.  I struggle with every ounce of strength to right myself and continue on my way, but to no avail.  And as I lay there in despair, I feel my light dimming.  I want to let my light shine, but it seems to keep going out, and I just don't have the strength to keep rekindling the flame.  Ever been there?

The next morning, as I stepped into the hallway, I noticed the little bug.  It had died. Sadly, it wasn't until that moment that I realized I could have helped him. If I had turned him over, he might have survived.  But in my drowsy state, the thought didn't cross my mind.  As I stared at the poor creature, I felt both regret and joy.  Regret for my failure to do what I could to help the struggling bug.  Joy at the realization that God will never fail to aid me during my difficult times.  Not only is my Father there to flip me over and set me back on my feet, but He also extends the light of His love all around me, reminding me that I have no light of my own but only that which is reflected from Him.

This little light of mine is Jesus.  He is my Light, and it is both my privilege and my duty to let Him shine through me in all that I do and say.  When I struggle, I can rest assured that He will come to my aid.  He will set me right, renew my light and banish my night. 

And because He never sleeps, I don't have to worry about Him being too drowsy to recognize my predicament.

So sorry, little bug.


The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1