The Street Light

The people of Philadelphia needed some convincing. Benjamin Franklin was trying to get people to buy into the idea of street lighting. It wasn’t a new concept, but his design with four panes of glass surrounding the candle was new. He figured he would start with his own home. So he hung a beautiful lantern outside his house and kept the glass clean and polished. Every evening it lit up the street and stood out among the other dark homes and streets. People soon gravitated towards his light, using the warm glow to help guide their way and to avoid tripping. It wasn’t long before people saw the wonderful benefits of his lantern design, and put them outside their homes as well.

People today are stumbling around in spiritual darkness. In fact, most people are happy to be in the dark (John 3:19-20). And yet, Ben Franklin’s approach is still a great one. Let’s shine our own lights first (Matthew 5:14-16). The longer we shine our Christian lights, the more we will stand out in this dark world. People will start to come to us to help avoid hazards and obstacles of the world. Before long, others will become lights as well.

There is no life greater than the Christian life. So shine your light. Hang it for all to see. Clean it and polish it daily so others will appreciate it. Then help others do the same.