No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Luke 8:16
When I made my first attempts at recovery, I approached the twelve steps with a scissors, keeping the parts I liked and discarding the ones I didn’t. I could accept that I had a problem and needed help. Step twelve though – We tried to carry this message to alcoholics – just wasn’t something I was interested in doing. I wanted to keep my problem a secret and reaching out to others didn’t fit in with my plans.
I’ve often felt much the same way about sharing my faith. I grew up in an evangelical Christian tradition which places a heavy emphasis on telling others of the gospel message. My salvation though, like recovery, was something I simply preferred to keep to myself. The thought of going door to door or preaching on a street corner – about God or sobriety – just makes me squirm. Talking to others about faith can be really uncomfortable.
In today’s passage though, Jesus said that outreach isn’t really optional for the Christian. As we’ve been given a light, we must share that light with those who need it. Christ said those who call themselves his disciples will follow him in obedience. If we call ourselves followers of Christ, we must necessarily allow our light to shine.
AA says, We keep what we have by giving it away. I’m not saying that we’ll lose our sobriety if we don’t reach out to other addicts and I’m not saying we’ll lose our salvation of we don’t share our faith. I’m saying what I think Jesus is saying – that if we’ve truly been transformed, it will be almost impossible for others not to see the change. Likewise, if we have zero interest in reaching out to those who need help, we must question the authenticity of our own transformation.
I’m still not great at telling others of what God has done for me. In truly finding faith and recovery though, it has become much more natural to share my story when I see another struggle as I have.
As God has shown his light in us, we must allow his light to shine through us. It’s not that we have all the answers or can save anyone. We’re just following the one who does and can.