Friday was the presidential inauguration. Friday, many people were wondering what will become of America and what the future holds. I, too, found myself worrying, then I was reminded of whose I am. I had one verse on my heart all day: Ephesians 5:13-14, "But everything exposed by the light becomes visible -- and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. That is why it is said, 'Wake up sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'"
In Ephesians, Paul is writing this to the church in Ephesus where everyone is new to the whole "Christian thing." The members of the church have been changed by the gospel of Christ and they have been living it out. Paul has heard of their faithfulness and thanks God for them in his prayers. But they still have so much to learn and there is so much they don't understand. The letter is basically "How to Live like a Follower of Jesus 101." It explains how to live once you have been set free through the death and resurrection of Christ.
In the midst of everything happening in the world today, it is easy to be worried, to be disheartened, and to lose all hope. That is what the enemy would have us to believe. He tries to convince us that it is acceptable to live with no joy and walk around defeated.
But I am challenging myself to live differently. I want to swim against the current. I want people to look at my life and be perplexed by the hope and the joy that I have. I want to live in the light. To love everyone (no matter political affiliation, race, economic status, or anything else that can divide) because Christ first loved us. And as I face this task, I pray this is a challenge that many out there will accept, commit to fully, and be sold-out to.
Why should we have this hope, though, when there seems to be no light breaking up the darkness? The miracle of this way of life is that it is not our own light that is shining (we are dim at best), but the light of Christ shining in us.
Christ does not say go shine your light. No, he says, "I am the way, the truth, and the light." We can only become the city on the hill if it is Christ life and love shining through us. We are like the moon with no sun without Jesus.
But we cannot simply claim the name of Jesus and expect the world to change. We must be made new from the inside out. We must dig in the Word. We must seek Christ with our whole selves. We must pray genuinely knowing that God is able.
What I am proposing is radical. It is not something to fall back on, but rather something that will change everything about who we are. It will turn the world upside down and may even bring suffering along the way (a whole other article). It is more than posting a Bible verse on Instagram, it is more than writing an article, it is more than taking the easy path. But it is worth it.
So, wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead. Christ will shine on you. Walk as a child of the light.
"For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." -Ephesians 5:8
