Parable
of the Candles
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There was a blackout one night. When the lights went out, I fumbled to
the closet where we keep the candles for nights like this. I lit four
of them. I was turning to leave with the large candle in my hand when
I heard a voice, "Now, hold it right there."
"Who said that?"
"I did." The voice was near my hand.
"Who are you? What are you?"
"I'm a candle."
I lifted up the candle to take a closer look.
There was a tiny face in the wax.
"Don't take me out of here!"
"What?"
"I said, Don't take me out of this room."
"What do you mean? I have to take you out. You're
a candle.
Your job is to give light. It's dark out there."
"But you can't take me out. I'm not ready," the candle explained with pleading eyes.
"I need more preparation."
I couldn't believe my ears. "More preparation?"
"Yeah, I've decided I need to research this job
of light-giving so I won't go out and make
a bunch of mistakes. You'd be surprised how distorted
the glow of an untrained candle can be...."
"All right then," I said.
"You're not the only candle on the shelf.
I'll blow you out and take the others!"
But right then I heard other voices,
"We aren't going either!"
I turned to the other candles,
"You are candles and your job is to light dark places!"
"Well, that may be what you think," said
the first one,
"You may think we have to go, but I'm busy...
I'm meditating on the importance of light. It's
really enlightening."...
"And you other two," I asked, "are
you going to stay too?"
A short, fat, purple candle with plump cheeks spoke up. "I'm
waiting to get my life together, I'm not
stable enough."
The last candle had a female voice, very pleasant to the ear.
"I'd like to help, "she explained, "but
lighting the darkness is not my gift...I'm a singer.
I sing to other candles to encourage them to burn more brightly."
She began a rendition of "This Little Light of Mine" The other three joined
in, filling the closet with singing....I took a step back and considered
the absurdity of it all. Four perfectly healthy candles singing to each
other about light but refusing to come out of the closet.
Here is a question for you, when was the last time you sharedthe gospel
to someone? This world is full of darkness, with many people stumbling
around trying to find their way. You can be a light for them, and believe
me, there's a light waiting for you. It can all happen with something
as sharing the faith, to just a smile across the room, to a quick hello
to a forgotten friend
| "Ye are the light of
the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid. Neither do men light a lamp,
and put it under a basket, but on a
lamp stand; and it giveth light to all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
-- Matthew 5:14-16 |