SHINING LIGHT

It used to really bother me when we would go out with our whole family (then 9) and we would be such a spectacle. The questions & comments were fired at us, Are they all yours, you must be so busy, don't you know how this happens, do you plan on having more, what's your secret to make them behave so well, you look to peaceful to have this many children, you must have a lot of patience, you look to young to have that many children, how old's the oldest, how old's the youngest, what do you drive, you must spend a fortune on food, how do you keep them dressed so nicely.... and the list goes on and on. One day while I was thinking about this, or rather pouting, God spoke to me about being a light. Isaiah 60:1-2 says 'Arise shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkenss shall cover the earth, and the darkenss the people. But the glory of the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen (made aware of) in thee.' And I realized as I hadn't realized before that as Christians we should be a light and people should notice us (in a good way!) because we should be different (also in a good way). We live in a world where there is much darkness and many people have lost hope. Lost hope in parenting, in marriage, in church, in God.... So we need to be that light that will lift Jesus up so that men will be drawn to Him. I also felt God was telling me that He had blessed us with a large family and that people were drawn not only to our family size, but to the light of Christ that was within us. And that, as I was bemoaning the fact that we were such a spectacle, I was belittling Christ within us. Instead I should use this as an opportunity to share Christ with others and rejoice in the fact that we are a "spectacle". So now when someone comes up to us and asks the questions I know are going to come, I don't get quite so annoyed. I answer their questions with a smile and I pray that our conversation and witness will cause a spark in them to seek true life in Christ. So how is your light shining. Are people drawn to the light that is within you? And if so, how do you react? Sometimes the very thing that bothers us about ourselves or our family, God wants to use as a tool to bring others to Him. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16" ALL GLORY TO YOU GOD!