Living Lights

by: Adam Stout

Midwestern landscapes offer many gorgeous sights in summer: prolonged sunsets, dense forests, and magnificent thunderstorms. But one of my favorite summer sights comes not from a sweeping landscape but from a seemingly insignificant creature: the firefly. When I look down the hill behind my parents’ house, away from the city lights, the flashing fireflies can even upstage the stars in the sky. Fireflies are known for their bioluminescence, which means “living lights.”

Paul told the Philippians they were living lights. As children of God, their lives should stand out in a dark world. When I hear this I get discouraged. What great thing am I doing to stand out like a living light? I haven’t founded a charity or written a great book. I’ve done nothing great at all.

Then I am reminded of the “great” thing the Philippians are called to do in verse 14: obey without grumbling. Really? Is that it? But Paul knows that the seemingly insignificant things are what God desires from us. When God calls us to shine, he is talking not only about the most visible parts of our lives, but also the forgotten corners, those hidden places we don’t want to change. But when we open ourselves to listen and obey in the little things, we may notice something strange. We may find ourselves glowing.