In Matthew 5, we are encouraged as Christian’s not to hide our light, not to keep it from the world but to shine out like a city on a hill to guide others. Yesterday, I was compelled to pursue this example further and instead be a lighthouse on a hill, shining my light brightly, far and wide: there to save others and guide them to Christ. This imagery is wonderful and strong, but I would like to take it one step further. There is a type of lighthouse that works with one light and many mirrors, the reason this lighthouse is capable of shining its light bright and over greater distances than other lighthouses, is because each reflective panel intensifies the light and reflects it further and brighter than before. My encouragement to you, is to be a mirror in a lighthouse. Imagine that Christ is the light itself, and his goodness and his love pour from that light, if you live according to His will and mirror the light that comes from him, you will reflect Him, and shine His light further than it has gone before; it will reach more dark places and shine into more lives, because you are mirroring Him. There are so many levels to this metaphor, I could go on for an essay length blog, but instead I will just tell you the ones that God has put most prominently on my heart.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge that we are all imperfect apart from Christ, and we all falter and fall and fail Him sometimes. But what is important is that we come back to Him. So, if your mirror falls or breaks and is no longer touched by the beam of Christ’s light, you will no longer be reflecting him. He will still be there, the light never leaves the lighthouse and never goes out, but you will have distanced yourself from his light. But, whether you just falter for a second, or if you fall completely and your mirror shatters into a hundred pieces, God will always be there and He will always love you and He will always want to use your mirror. Have you ever seen light reflect from something that is broken? The different angles and faces and sides that have been given to it because it was broken, mean that when light shines on it, it reflects in all different directions, and it is beautiful. So whether you are whole and unbroken and reflecting God’s light intensely, or if you are a little broken or a lot broken (whatever your imperfections may be) and you can reflect his light in many different directions into many other lives. God wants to use you! He wants you to be part of His beacon of light and love and hope. And all you have to do to be part of this amazing lighthouse, is face his light with all the pieces of your mirror - with your whole self - and reflect the love He shines on you.
I also want to point out, that if we cover the light in a lighthouse, and the mirrors try to shine in their own strength, they will fail. You cannot do this in your strength, you have to do it through Christ. Only when you let His light shine on you, can you reflect it. So keep Him with you wherever you go and in whatever you do, because if you try to shine a light in and of yourself, you will promote only yourself, not Him. You are a mirror to reflect Him and for His will not your own. Don’t get caught up in how you want other people to see you or how you think you should serve Him. Stay close to Christ and reflect His perfect light - you are called to be a part of His beacon.