The Beautiful Lights of Budapest and Matthew 5:16

When I was just a little girl in second grade, I began to ride the church bus to attend church.  I loved riding the church bus.  I loved church.  I loved hearing about God, Jesus, and the Bible.  The best thing about the church bus was that we used to sing all the way to church and all the way home.  Anyone who knows this gal knows that I love to sing.  Our youth pastor used musical singing to keep us calm, keep us praising, and to teach us many things about the Lord before we even got to church.  I asked Jesus into my heart, as the only means of salvation from my sin, as a second grader too.  He forever changed my heart and life the day I accepted Him in ways that I couldn't even have imagined at that time.  If you were to ask me what my favorite song was as a newly saved second grader, I would have told you, "This Little Light of Mine."  I would sing that song daily over and over again until I probably made my parents and those around me annoyed.  While I loved the song, it hit me as an upper elementary school student that I truly did not understand the meaning of the song.  I even remember asking more than one Christian adult/teacher in my life, "Why is this a Christian song?  What does it mean?"  They told me the truth that Jesus was like a light inside of a believer and that His Spirit helps us to shine like a bright light for Him.  Their answers satisfied my questioning heart, but honestly I truly didn't fully understand the "Jesus being the light inside of me" concept.

It wasn't until my upper middle school, beginning teen years that God showed me and enlightened my heart to what "This Little Light of Mine" meant and was all about.  I read Matthew 5:14-16 over and over and over again with such joyous excitement as it was being taught in church.  The LIGHT BULB came on so to speak in my heart, soul, and mind!  I GOT IT!  When God looks at people, He truly sees only two kinds of people 1) those who have Jesus as the their Savior and 2) those who are lost without having Jesus as their Savior.  Those without Jesus are living blinded in the darkness of the world and in the darkness of sin.  What a scary way to live.  I personally hate the dark and must even sleep at night with some sort of light for personal comfort.  Those who have Christ as their Savior have the Holy Spirit's light inside as Jesus is the Light of the World.  The perfect Light of the World overcomes the power of our sin and exposes our sin as light and darkness can't mix.  The perfect Light of the World and His Word light our path and direct our steps in His ways.  The Christian is living among the darkness of this world.  However, the Christian is not of this world.  The Christian is to not to hide the light of Christ within them and blend into the dark, sinful, disobedient ways of the world.  Rather the Christian is be an example (though imperfect), following His ways before the darkened world so that others may see the light of Christ in them and be drawn to want to know personally the true Light of the World.  We are to live to draw others to Him.  We are to live so that others see us and glorify Him, and not ourselves.  We can only do this as we rely on the Spirit's power to live out the Christian life.  When we submit to Him, we resist the influence of the world that is composed with the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life.  When we submit to Him we are like a light on a hill drawing people to the Savior. 

After this LIGHT BULB moment in church, Matthew 5:16 has always had a place in my heart to the point that I claim it as my theme verse:  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." 

My time in Hungary reminds me much of Matthew 5:16.  In the Saturday between the two weeks of camp, I went sightseeing with a missionary from Hungary and two other English teachers working in the camp.  I greatly enjoyed the day touring Budapest and all of its main attractions.  However, I was greatly looking forward to the dinner cruise that night on the Danube.  Even though I am not a big outside person, I love water, nature, and the beauty of His creation.  Budapest is such a wonderful city, filled with beautiful architecture and nature.  I had seen the city by day, but we all waited in anticipation for 9 PM to come so that we could see the lights that light up the government buildings, landmarks, and bridges by night.  What a sight that it was indeed (pictured below).

 No picture that I took or that I have seen taken can give the lights at night in the city justice.  Even more amazing was to go after the dinner cruise to a high point at the Citadella in which one can look down and see the full affect of the lighted city.  As I snapped a picture as my phone camera was about to die, I couldn't help but to fully go to my theme verse of Matthew 5:16.  At that point in time the sky was pitch black darkness, but the city and all the landmarks that I had be taught about were alive, visible, and beautiful.  There was no hiding them.  (Below is a travel site picture in daylight and my not so clear picture of the night--the travel site picture at night at the very top of the post is better)

What a great reminder of who His children are to be--shining lights, radiating His light, in the middle of the darkness of this world, for His honor and glory.

Father, I am truly Your imperfect child.  However, help me to live by my theme verse.  Help me to shine Your light before the world.  Help me to represent You, my Father well.  Help me to shine in a way that gives You honor and glory, and not myself.  Help others to be drawn to You and not away from You because of the life that I live.  I want to let my light, the light of Your Spirit, shine within and without.