Light Your World

It was somewhere between 11:30pm and midnight.  I turned off the light and began the stringray shuffle towards my bed.  About 3/4 of the way there I stopped, contemplating a Lambeau Leap into bed just to entertain Jennifer.  Jennifer!  I turned around and shuffled back towards the blinking light switch.  As soon as I hit it, my roommate Jennifer and I doubled over in laughter.

Well, I doubled over; she almost fell out of bed.  It wasn't really that funny, but we laughed until our stomachs hurt.  Everything's funnier in the middle of the night, right?

She had been reading when I walked in from the bathroom, turned off the light, and headed to bed. 
Here's the kicker: I totally knew she was reading and turned out the light without thinking anything of it! 
Here's the second kicker: She didn't say anything!

I guess you had to be there.  We laughed until we couldn't breathe.  That could be hazardous to your health.

You know what else could be hazardous to your health?  Absent-mindedly going through life.  Turning off the light before you get into bed despite the fact that your roommate is reading.  Making it your goal to get from Point A to Point B as fast as you can without noticing the people you pass on your way.  Every day counting down until the next day when you can sleep in.

I consider myself pretty observant and friendly.  I noticed Jen was reading.  I wave to snowplow drivers.  I address people by name when I pass them on campus.

But get me in the caf and I am in a zone!  Sure, I'll talk if I'm in line, but most people tell me they saw me in the caf but I looked like I was in a hurry, so they didn't say hi.  In the caf, sometimes I don't acknowledge people until they call my name.  Clueless. 

What if we took the time to notice the other people in the caf?  Instead of just seeing bodies in between us and the milk, what if we saw the faces of God's children?  What if we actually payed attention to what we were doing rather than doing it half-heartedly or rush?

What if we left the light on for someone?
What if we cared?

<>< Katie

Light of the World

I had written a blog about garbage men and trash pickers, but it really had no point, so I deleted it and started over with something more useful. Then I wrote a second one but didn't like it either... so now we're on attempt three, I hope you like it!

God calls us to be a light to the world. I want to encourage you not to be like the light over the sink in my dorm room.

This light turns on quite slowly so you stand in a dark room for a minute or two before it finally decides it'll light up. Don't be slow to answer God's call, but trust in Him whether you understand it or not. (Chances are, normally it will be the latter).

This light randomly goes out. My roommate and I will be sitting there and all of the sudden the room gets darker. The first time it happened, we thought the light was broken and put in a work order. When the maintenance man came, the light turned on and worked fine. We were embarrassed and he had less work to do one day. Don't go out when you need God the most. Don't hide behind a bushel. Stand firm.

This light also has a tendency to flicker back on then off again. On again, off again. Do you always follow Christ or do you flicker in your obedience? Do you follow today, disobey tomorrow?

Ok, maybe one of the other two blogs I wrote this morning was better, but I'm not starting over again. Sorry all. I need a job.

<>< Katie

"I [Jesus] have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46