Until That Day, You Are Their Light

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation

so that you may know him better.

Ephesians 1:17

Do you want to know God better? Ask for wisdom and revelation. That’s how Paul prayed for the new converts in Ephesus. Paul was one of the most learned men in the Jewish community. He knew the laws of God inside and out…but until Jesus revealed himself to Paul, he was actually going the wrong way, believing the wrong things, listening to the wrong voice and getting everything completely wrong in the obedience department. In fact, Paul was doing the direct opposite of what God wanted him to do. Rather than building up the Church, by telling the story of God’s Son and his death and resurrection in order to be the atoning sacrifice for all our sin, he worked tirelessly to destroy the Church and everyone that believed that Jesus was the Son of God.

For Paul it took a Light so bright that he was blinded for 3 days. I think of this experience as God taking away our own vision… our own agenda… our own mission… our preconceived notions… our thoughts that we cling to that are way off base. Sometimes we need to be reprogramed in order to have space to store the real truth. For some of us, it may take a whole lot more than 3 days for that to happen.

As parents, we are often the ones to provide the wisdom and revelation of the reality of Christ to our children. They come to us with a weak ability to comprehend… anything. They know hunger and discomfort and self-centeredness. Their only concern is their own well-being. If that were not the case, they may not survive. We know to feed them and change them and comfort them because they let us know something needs to happen. Loudly.

As they grow, we must take very seriously the responsibility to help them know their most critical need…Jesus. I believe that He will reveal Himself to them. We can’t force them to see Him, but we can describe Him and know Him better and better ourselves. Our parental responsibility is to share our knowledge and insight with them so that when He reveals Himself to them, they will recognize Him. They will know that He longs to be their Master, to give them wisdom and guidance for the rest of their life. Perhaps, if they have been exposed to His light through you, He won’t have quite as much reprogramming to do.

Until God reveals Himself more fully to your children, YOU be that LIGHT. You be the one to expose the self-centeredness and teach them to see others and their needs. You be the light that exposes their sinful behaviors. You be the light that shows them the way to go. You be the light that helps them see that we all need a Savior. You be that voice that directs them on the right path. You be that voice that corrects them when they do not behave well. You be that authority that helps them learn the joy of obedience. You be the grace that provides love in all situations.

Take some time to think about what your children are hearing and seeing. What they are being exposed to on a regular basis. Listen to the lyrics of the songs on the radio. Take a look at the themes of their favorite programs. Open the eyes of your heart to see what sin may have found a resting place in your life that they are seeing as a normal and acceptable way to live. Prepare them for an encounter with Jesus Christ that will change their eternity in a miraculous way.