Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” -Ephesians 5:11-14 (NLT)  

In  a recent entry I talked about letting your light shine. If you are in Christ and are obeying the Lord you will shine wherever you go. But it’s not always pleasant for people around us when we do shine. Paul says that people’s evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them. That is not a comfortable feeling for people to have. If you have ever been in a dark room and suddenly somebody turns on the light it hurts our eyes. Usually we would say “Turn off the light!!” In other words a bright shiny light can make some people uncomfortable and they want to turn that light off.

I am telling you this so you won’t be surprised that not everybody will have a positive reaction to the love, kindness and consideration you show to them.

We lived in the country for many years. I loved to go exploring with my children as we looked at the beauty of nature.  One day I saw a large interesting rock. Wanting to examine more closely, I lifted it off the ground. When I looked back at the place I had lifted it from I saw a whole colony of bugs running around in a panic. They were not happy that I had let the sun into their home. In fact, if they could have spoken to me they would have said “Put that rock back!!!”

So if you find yourself unappreciated for your love, just keep on loving them. Most will eventually get used to the light. Then share the Word as the Lord leads you.

Keep shining!

Jesus is Lord!