Work … it can be hard! It can really take a toll. Maybe you put in a full day and you still don’t know how you are going to make ends meet. Maybe you work two jobs and it’s exhausting. Perhaps you are trying to work with physical ailments and it’s just too much.
It can be in those times that it is really difficult to keep up your time with the Lord … even harder to be the light of Jesus. But listen, you are called to be the light in any circumstance. I know many friends struggling with health issues. Cancer, breathing issues, walking problems, aging, emotional issues—you name it, a friend of mine has it.
The people I see struggling are the most brave and courageous people I know. And here is the cool thing: They are walking through their struggles with smiles. You could ask any of them “What are you smiling about?” and the answer would be the same. They are smiling because they know what they’re going through is only temporary. They have been shown God’s mercy in their lives and know they will be shown it again. I see them smiling through the pain and finding things for which to give God praise.
Now, I am not so naive to believe they are smiling every minute of every day. There are times of pain. There are times of sorrow. There are times of fear. That makes them human. But these people are not destroyed by their diagnosis. Instead, they are reassured by the maker of the heavens and the universe that there is a life everlasting found through Jesus Christ. These are people who will share the Good News every chance they get.
How about you? When your day gets really hard or the diagnosis doesn’t come back as you had hoped, how are you? Are you beaten up and discouraged or are you a hope-filled, Jesus-loving child of God? Personally, I prefer the latter and I hope you do too. Whatever you do, keep on keeping on, and shine the light of God wherever you go. You make a difference!
Reflection:
- In what ways do you feel like a treasure in a clay pot?
- How have you been pressed on every side lately?
- In what ways can you be the light when it seems so dark?