This Little Light of Mine

I was given this really amazing gift for Christmas. A lady in my church Bible study decided to give away her late husband's archeological collection of oil lamps to each woman in the study. They were all very old, very special, and each carried a mysterious story about the past...maybe even a story about Jesus. It felt precious to hold it in my hands. My mind filled with wonder. Who had used this before? Whose hands had touched it? Did it belong to a woman like me, moving to the rhythm of a full house, with lots of mouths to feed and hearts to mold? Did she sit near the light nursing her newborn? Maybe it belonged to a sick woman, sitting by the light, heart full of hope that she might see the Messiah and be healed. Did Jesus touch the lamp? Did he light it when he set the table for the last supper? So many possibilities, so many stories...

My mind raced while the lady explained the significance of oil lamps in Isreal`s culture. Then, I glanced around our table at the women in my small group. I peered at the lamps in their hands and noticed that each of them had a little more detail on them. They looked a little more special, like a genie lamp on Aladin. Suddenly, my mind went from being in awe to jealousy. Maybe I should trade mine. There was another one on the table, still wrapped. Should I grab that one and see if I like it better? And then I noticed something really different about my lamp. There was this dark grey stain around the nozzle, a smoke stain. This wasn't a decorative piece of pottery, it was actually used in someone`s home to provide light.

I kept the plain lamp of course, because it was special. It had a story. I also kept it because it was exactly the reminder I needed of how God uses even the plainest vessels to express His glory. On the days when I feel tired, unimpressive or small, I can visit my lamp on the shelf and remember that I don't have to be anything spectacular to be used by God. I want to be like this little lamp...simple, but useful for the Kingdom. I want to be a light, knowing that no matter how I stack up to other women, that God's glory is being accomplished in me. It's never been about my glory anyway.