30 JUNE

WALK IN THE LIGHT (4)

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

(1 John 1:7)

The light of Christ within us helps us to pursue a forgiving and loving attitude needed to build fruitful and lasting relationships. Conflicts and strife should not survive in this light. Why then do we have them in our relationships?  The battle is in the mind, so we must allow this light to pierce through our thought process and overcome dark thoughts.

In some relationships, destructive words are used that are more damaging than even physical abuse; so we must allow the light of Christ into our talk time – “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”

There is the story of the woman who complained to her doctor that her husband always beat her up when he came home late, drunk. The doctor asked her to keep a mouthful of water in her mouth, as soon as he came home until he went to bed. She did that and there was a turnaround in her home.

Words can be destructive. But they can also be constructive, if used wisely and at the right time.  The light of God makes a huge difference in our actions, especially how we relate to others in our family and at work, even when no one is watching. Walking in the light renews and refreshes us within, so that we are empowered to be a refreshment to others. 

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described this light within thus:  “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within”.

ACTION: Resolve to speak only refreshing and constructive words in your relationships.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to be a refreshment to others.

I dedicate this piece in thanksgiving to God, to Tessy Ileka, my beloved friend and Christian sister. Her light shone so brightly that all saw her good works and glorified God and she was a refreshment to many.