"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6
Did you own a Lite Brite by Hasbro? You know the jingle, "Lite Brite, makin' thi-ings with li-i-ight. Outta sight, makin' things with Lite Brite." I never owned one but I bought one for myself--*cough, *cough--I mean, bought one for my kids when they knew electric sockets were for plugs NOT fingers.
Lite Brite’s simple design--a hollow, plastic, triangular shell with a pegboard screen and a light bulb inside--didn't impress my kids at first glance. After all, what's so exciting about a bunch of white stamped dots on black, back-lit paper? But once they saw the pattern emerging from the illuminated colored pegs, their excitement grew and their fingers flew faster from pegs to board.
I got to thinking, we're a lot like a Lite Brite: born by God's design, embodying great potential and color with his imprint on our souls.
Following the design--setting one peg at a time in its place--is a slow, tedious process. Unlike Lite Brite's stamped patterns, our life is not a DIY design with easy, numbered instructions. Instead, God only reveals his pattern for our lives as we seek intimate relationship with him through his son, Jesus Christ (plug into the Source).
Once we take that step, the Bible says the Holy Spirit lives in us (1 Corinthians 3:16) and illuminates us to the knowledge and glory of God by salvation through Christ:
"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will." Romans 8:27
Learning to follow God's lead through the promptings of his Holy Spirit takes patience too. We must set time aside to listen for and recognize God's voice from within, through Scripture, and through other believers. Once we recognize his voice, we have a choice--to willingly obey him or go our own way.
Taking little steps of obedience are like placing the colored pegs on the Lite Brite pattern. Each peg--each step--illuminates God's Holy Spirit from within. When the last peg is placed or the last step is taken we can step back and see the result of perfect cooperation between us and the Master Designer.
Imagine your life as a Lite Brite, today and ask yourself these questions:
- Am I plugged into God, the source of Light?
- Do I spend time listening for God's voice?
- Am I following God's pattern by obeying His voice?
- Have I lost patience, given up and gone my own way?
Lord, thank you for the gift of Light through the life, death and resurrection of your son, Jesus. I accept your gift and ask that your Holy Spirit shine brightly through me according to your plan for my life. Grant me patience to persevere when I'm frustrated with following the pattern or just weary from life so that in the end, your glory shines through as a beautiful masterpiece. Amen
"But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:21
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