Shine the light

Can we be humble and still shine?

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:11-16

It seems like a contradiction to humble oneself and yet let the world see one's good works.  After all, aren't we supposed make our alms in secret, pray so no one hears, and fast without calling attention to ourselves?

I think Jesus is not talking about boasting about what we do.  I wonder what he would say about the posts we all do on social media.

The light we are to shine is us.

We are the light and the salt of the earth.  In other words, we make Christ visible in the world, and we add flavor to all we touch.

I like that. It gives me direction and purpose.

Like Midas, whatever I touch is made beautiful and valuable.  People will notice that.  I don't need to boast about it.  They will discover, because we make it easier to see the good works we do, just by doing them in the open.

So, we can be humble and still shine.

We may find ourselves surprised by how many notice.

More to come...