“But suppose we walk in the light, just as he is in the light. Then we share life with one another. And the blood of Jesus, His Son, makes us pure from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
You know how easy it is to talk negatively about someone in a group of people? It’s even easier to listen to people in a group talk bad about people.
In junior and high school, I-like many girls in my grade-were desperate to be popular. We wanted to be positively noticed and favored by all the other people in our grade who were positively noticed and favored. Qualifications usually surrounded those who were physically beautiful, funny, outgoing, wealthy, and trendy. There were exceptions, but a lot of time, when the popular crowd noticed me, it was because I sacrificed part of myself to be advantageous to them. For example, I’d let some popular guys have my homework or I’d turn down lunch with my drama friends to talk sports with the popular kids, or spend all of my allowance money on shoes called “dope smokers” that were hideous just so that I could prove I was trendy and wealthy enough to own name brand shoes…that made me look like a guy named Scooter that worked at a boat marina. The best sacrifice I gave for fitting in with them was my sense of humor. The things they laughed at the most was putting others down. Why? Well, that answer comes with a scary truth: POPULAR KIDS ARE INSECURE TOO.
Some wise person once said, “Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.” Satan will convince you otherwise. I was in a conversation with two different people about social media regarding the same situation. We discussed how many people posted their real live struggles on Facebook verses their glamorous life moments. We only want the world to see what will make our candle shine bright while dimming someone else’s light.
Jesus called us to walk in the light. He didn’t ask that our light shine brighter than everyone else’s. He called us to be a light in this dark world. When someone’s light is dim, we should be the one to give them a flame boost.
Have you ever been around a bunch of Nancy’s? We call them Negative Nancy’s in my house. Actually, on occasion we elect a Negative Nancy and a Bad Mood Bradford award. Occasionally, I win, but anyway…Have you ever been surrounded by a Nancy or a group of Nancy’s and thought, “I sure am glad to be here.” Have you noticed if you try to light a spark of encouragement for Nancy she immediately blows it out?
These moments make you feel just as awkward as walking away from the popular crowd as they’re making fun of an outfit your best friend has on that day. When you chime in with some form of negative comment, they’ll laugh, and you’ll feel good for thirty seconds—until you don’t.
Imagine what it would be like if everyone around you today shined their light as bright as they could, but not for their own purpose. They worked hard to have a huge light in order to help yours shine bright when it got dim. And they went around all day shining lights for people. It’s hard to imagine this kind of world, but I imagine it would look similar to this.
You wake up, get the kids ready for school. You exchange, “Good mornings,” followed by something you love about each person. You offer to make everyone breakfast, one kid offers to make everyone’s bed, one kid gets everyone’s lunches ready, and your husband throws some dinner in the crockpot on the way to take the trash out. At work, you walk into a building where one co worker is explaining an incredible lesson that her preacher preached on Sunday morning that moved her to putting on Christ in baptism. Everyone surrounds her in tears. You grab the people’s hands next to you and immediately praise God in prayer for your new sister’s salvation. At lunch, someone someone begins talking about how frustrating it’s getting living with her mother-in-law, but before she says another word, someone chimes in, “You don’t have to have that frustration. Let’s pray to God. Your strength comes from Him.” The next thing you know, your whole team is head bowed at a lunch table praying with your whole heart that God’s strength surrounds this lady that you barely know. You come home, you grab your Bible to read an incredible verse that you write on a sticky note to give to the lady at the lunch table for encouragement. You enjoy dinner at the table with your family, and as you drive to all the practices and games, you silently give God gratitude for this absolutely perfect day.
If someone posted this on social media, more than likely your thought would go to, “What in the Christian Carol Brady is going on here?”
We’ve all heard Matthew 7:1-2 and probably used it to set someone in their place. “Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Did you notice this isn’t specific about negative or positive judgement?
Negative judgement is straight out of the mouth of Satan. It’s the thoughts on someone walking into a church building after a night at the bar. Positive judgement is nothing different. It’s hearing someone brag about their brand new house and assuming they will be in debt for the rest of their life instead of celebrating them.
John is describing the Christian Carol Brady lifestyle in 1 John 1:7. He says imagine friendships on this side of Heaven in which we have a common goal to lift others up and a common ground that we too have been lifted up. I love the last part of this verse because it shows where we get the light that starts other people’s fires, “And the blood of His Son makes us pure from all sin.”
I’m grateful that blood is ever flowing and continues to cleanse me daily of my bad judgements, my good judgements, my Negative Nancy awards, and my word vomit Satan encourages me to regurgitate around people I’m desperate to fit in with.
My prayer for you today is that you will hang with the lighthouse people, be a lighthouse person, soak up all the lit blessings from this experience, and give gratitude to fire starter.
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