The Lesser Light

There it was in the sky.
There was nothing in my little girl brain that could comprehend what this might be.
A beam of light seemed to be spotlighting the heavens.
The light was moving back and forth.

What is that, Mom?
I don’t know, she said puzzled. Should we drive and find out?
I reluctantly said yes, wanting to know where the light came from yet still uncertain.
We set off on our quest.

Looking back now, my mother probably knew the source of the light.
But adventures were necessary between mothers and daughters.
So we set out.
We drove in the direction of the light.

The beam was forming a cylindrical shape against the clouds.
The shape went left to right; a beacon in the night.
We seemed to be getting closer.
Anticipation was high as I found her glancing over at me in the front seat.

We got closer and closer to the light.
Finally, we reached its source.
I remember the sinking feeling of, is that all it is?
A gigantic spotlight on the back of a flat bed truck, advertising a new store.

She could see my disappointment.
The stories I concocted in my own mind were far better than the real thing.
Despite what I imagined, that light beckoned us for miles.
Despite my disappointment, that light illuminated the clouds.

Last night was a full moon.
Brilliantly bright, it beckoned.
I walked onto the balcony that is off our bedroom and was mesmerized by the light.
The spotlight in the sky, just like I remembered, but far better.

I watched the silhouettes of the trees as they eerily danced in the night breeze.
I delighted in the shadows that jumped and leaped across the ceiling.
This was no spotlight on the back of a flat bed truck.
This was the lesser light created by a Sovereign Designer.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning – the fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19)

The light that I found so mesmerizing was simply the lesser light.
If the lesser light was this magnificent, imagine how incredible the greater light must be.
The lesser light reflects the light of the greater.
It does not shine on its own.

If we had a lovely piece of art hanging in our home, we might have a light shining on it.
If guests came in our home, they would notice.
I highly doubt that anyone would say, Oh look at that beautiful light.
They would more likely say, Look at that beautiful painting.

The light simply vanishes in the presence of beauty.
It points to, but never takes the place of, the object that should be our focus.
The moon reflects the light of the sun.
We reflect the light of Christ.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5: 14-16)

Jesus always pointed to His Father.
With every miracle, the people always praised God.
The glory never went to Jesus.
That is the way He wanted it.

We would want the glory for ourselves.
Did you see what I did? we would say, pointing.
We would want the recognition.
We would want the notoriety.

Not so with Jesus.
The parable He told is a Christological parable.
Jesus is, not “a” lamp but “THE” Lamp.
His light shines and always gives glory to God, His Father.

That is what He expects from us.
We shine because of Him.
We are the lesser lights.
We simply reflect the light of One greater.

No one should look at us say, what a great person.
They should look at us and say, what a great God.
He must become greater and I must become less. (John 3:30)
We are simply reflectors of the Greater Light.

The lesser light is beautiful because it reflects something greater.
We are beautiful because we reflect THE Lamp.
We are the city on a hill.
We are the light of the world.

We are not THE Light, but we still shine.
We are not THE city, but we point people to the City of God to come.
We are reflectors.
That is an important thing to be for the Glory of God.

Because of Him, we shine.

 

2 responses to “The Lesser Light”

1. Beautiful! You have the soul of an artist, seeing God’s hand in everything in nature–all the beauty and wonder. I, too, love the world He’s given us, and try to portray it in my paintings, always realizing what a lesser light I am. But I thank Him for the gift to see and TRY to capture some of the beauty He has created.

   Reply

   • Thank you, Sue.
     Whether we write, or paint, or play music we do it all for His Glory. What a privilege we have been given to point others to Him.
     Gina

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