Glow for Glory
If we are glowsticks in a world that need light are we ready to be broken?
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” — John 8:12
We speak about the nature of God in being the light of the world, it is coherent with His being. He tells me that I’m not merely a being, but that I’m a being for whom He is a light and therefore a path. Separation of light from me as a human is the same as separating a child from his mother, he is not expected to function in a capacity that was designed for him to function. I am sensitive here to recognize that there are many who would have been raised without the warmth of a mother, but that just affirms the fact that the mother brings light to the child, and a child who grew up without one knows the emptiness.
I was blown away when God’s heart was revealed to me concerning the analogy of glowsticks, and so we’ll look at some interesting characteristics of the glowstick — something so small, yet powerful.
Broken — Broken at the right time
The economy tells us that things are not going to be okay for the foreseeable future, markets have tanked, we’re in the red zone, people are calling this crisis worse than the global financial crisis in 2008.
Amidst all of this, are we ready to be broken? The Bible says that The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, and if He wants to be close to us, does he allow our hearts to be broken? It is certainly possible. What’s important to recognize here is to understand what He is busy breaking — Pride, anger, vengeance, or the many works of the enemy who is busy devising fresh new ways to snatch us away from the eternal grace of God.
While the idea of being broken may be untoward, we have an inherent nature in being dependent on ourselves, which is at the root of our troubles. And thus, we are broken, not for His sake, but for our own. This then, blossoms into the light that we become to those around us.
And so, glowsticks are useless before they are broken.
Darkness exists for it be disseminated
Do we recognize the darkness? Many times we take light for granted, we may stumble upon a bucket whilst having to wake up to go to the bathroom, yet once the light is switched on, the power that light gives us is overlooked. Jesus in the passage above talks about being the light of the world, how much more would we lose our way? how much more have we stumbled without Him in our lives?
In the book of Genesis, God separates darkness from light. It must boggle our minds to think that this little piece of detail is incredibly placed right at the beginning of chapter 1. Darkness is separated from light, it is not the same and at no point does it converge to become a blended world of both darkness and light, it is either darkness or light and it is clear that we are meant to live in the light which was made possible through the finished work of The Cross. This is where we sing in the middle of the storm because death was defeated, and along with it the darkness. Light in the darkness, that is who He is.
Once we experience the light, our disposition is to race toward the brightest light. By this point, the darkness has fled.
And so, glowsticks are used where darkness exists.
The rigidity of the glowstick
The bible talks about how being steadfast under trial in James — and many times the book of James is referred to as the proverbs of the New Testament. Our steadfastness gives us access to the Crown of Life.
In many places, we’re asked to persevere and it reminds me of the incredible story of Annie Johnston Flint who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, now she was steadfast. She went on to become a prolific writer whose poems touched lives. One of them is as follows:
When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man, And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed, Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him, And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying And he lifts beseeching hands!
How He bends but never breaks When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses, And which every purpose fuses him;
By every act induces him To try His splendor out- God knows what He’s about.- Annie Johnston Flint
It takes a God who breaks you out of darkness into glory to break you in a way that the brightest light is shone. It takes God who died for you to break you in a way that you are not broken forever.
And so, It takes a glow stick with the right rigidity to emanate the brightest light.
I am no stranger to darkness myself, I am constantly being tried and tested. I was once lost and now found. My heart is being renewed every morning in surrender. I find my mind derailing from the plans that were put in place for me, but the light in me reminds me that He’s in control. The beauty of this relationship is that I don’t worry about what lies ahead of me tomorrow because He gives me the strength for today. Do we run away from the light or toward?
