Light shining in a dark place

(Photo from Free Photos Public Domain.)

"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)

Last night I woke up for one of those inevitable nighttime treks that those of us in a certain age bracket end up making. After I was back in bed and had the light turned out, I saw a mysterious glowing light in a corner of the room. A tiny light, a very small greenish light, blinking at regular intervals. Suddenly I knew what it must be. Earlier, while vacuuming, I had noticed an insect in that corner of the room, right next to my granddaughter's sewing box. At the time I thought I would come back and put it outside or vacuum it up, but I forgot about it. And now I knew what kind of bug it was: It was a firefly (or lightning bug, if you prefer that designation)! We always called them fireflies when I was growing up, and to me that's just a prettier name.

This morning I put him outside, his little light still glowing. I'm not sure how he'll do. But I was thinking about how he was letting his light shine in the midst of a dark and somewhat fearful situation. His element, surely, is outdoors in the air. I don't know how he got inside, but he had gotten in somehow and couldn't find his way out. He had positioned himself close to the sewing box -- perhaps he felt hidden there -- but his light continued to glow. This little incident made a sort of picture for me. As Christians, sometimes we too are in dark and fearful situations. We are out of our element and have no idea at all how God is going to make a way of escape for us. But we draw close to Him and trust Him, continuing to let our light shine as we wait to see what He will do. He is in the situation with us and He will bring us safely through it.