Thought to consider this week: Spend a few minutes dreaming about what it would look like, in your neighborhood, to love your neighbors as you love yourself.
One of the most important parts of building an authentic relationship with someone is being your genuine self, flaws and all. It can be incredibly uncomfortable to admit your imperfections, but we don’t need to be quite so embarrassed about our cracks - we all have them, and God can still be glorified through them.
14“You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, CEB)
Imagine being in a dark room with a vase sitting on a table. Imagine that inside the vase is a light. All of the light inside the vase would be projected upward toward the ceiling, but you and the walls remain in the dark. Now imagine that same room and vase with the light, only now the vase has cracks and holes in it. Light is still shining out the top of the vase, but now you and the walls are also gleaming.
Not in a dark room, the first vase is the one that many people would gravitate towards; it was without flaw! The second vase would likely be deemed trash because of its imperfections. If you had to choose one to decorate your home with, it would likely be the first vase. However, wasn’t it the broken vase that was able to let more light shine into the darkness?
Now imagine yourself as the vase. You are not the first vase, the one that was void of flaws. As much as we might not like to admit it, you and I are the vase with cracks and holes. Each of us, as a vase, has our own unique pattern of cracks and missing pieces because of our individual stories of being. What we share, though, in our brokenness, is the brilliant and warm light of Christ that rests in each of us. If we were the first vase, the light of God would only be able to shine through one opening. Because we are broken, more of Christ’s light is able to shine through us. To be clear, God is not the cause of our brokenness; God does not put us in situations that result in damage. Instead, when we turn to God with our hurts, God is able to transform and redeem our brokenness into deeper relationship with God. The light shining out of our brokenness shows God’s love to others.
As you are preparing to take a deeper dive into your neighborhood, remember that you are a beloved child of God, perfectly imperfect, and called to share who you are with others so that they might know who God is. We’re not asking you to share your deepest secrets with your neighbors, but we are asking that you be your genuine self, because God’s light shines most directly onto others through your imperfections.
Prayer:
Creator of our being, you are not a haphazard creator, but rather you created each of us lovingly in your image. As we prepare to be the kind of neighbors that you call us to be, remind us that you don’t ask us to be perfect. Instead of focusing on being perfect, may we focus on how to love extravagantly. May we be intentional in learning the needs of our community so that we can show up for those who need a little more of your light. Thank you for transforming our brokenness into something beautiful. Amen.
Written By: Jenny Spidell