Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Lesson From Above the Wick


It was 2 AM, and I had finally finished the last touches on a 17-page paper. While my spirit was relieved, my mind and body felt like jello. I connected my laptop to the printer; 3 pages into the print job, all the lights in the apartment started to flicker rapidly, the printer made uncooperative noises, and then the house went still--pitch black except for the touch of light that was creeping through the blinds. One of my roommates came out of her room, and looked at me with puzzlement. We briefly discussed the idea that our food might go bad, and with that, she went back to bed.

First of all, I couldn't help but find humor in the fact that it was immediately after the finishing of my paper that this happened--talk about timing :).

As I checked the fuse box, I realized that the houses around us had probably experienced the same thing. It was just a matter of time before the electricity came back on. It's not often that I don't have electricity. Since the hardest part was over, I actually found a rush in trying to do really normal things in the dark. That didn't work out too well, so I found a match and lit a teeny votive candle. It was by this light that I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and maneuvered around the kitchen for some water without tripping over or bumping into things.

The votive candle rested on the coffee table next to the couch where I decided to sleep last night (I can hear the sound of the rain better there :)). As I looked at it (though, it almost seemed like it was looking at me), it dawned on me that this tiny little candle was the very thing that was making all the difference in that dark room. That little votive candle in its pre-lit stage looked just like any of the other candles that were with it in the package. As it stood alone, fulfilling its purpose, it couldn't help but draw attention the light that it was giving off.

A candle in its simplest form doesn't attract attention because of its wax body or because of its wick. It is the very light and the essence of warmth it emits that draws in the gaze of those around it. Candles lead a humble existence, but the light they give off is glorious. This is our job, the charge on our lives, the honored invitation that we have been extended. We have the privilege of emitting the Father's light. This little candle just reminded me of  Isaiah's words: "I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the LORD."

Our LORD is "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." He has lit the wicks and asking us to join Him in the process of continuing to do the same.

Burn, baby, burn!
(Why do all commonly known light/fire phrases lean towards the cheesy end of the stick?)

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