“What advice would you give to a Christian who is doing art or anything else outside of the church but who still wants to be ‘relevant’ to the world we live in today?”
This was a question I was asked on a recent radio interview and I thought I’d address it here for anyone struggling with this.
Ever since Eskom started enforcing load shedding my family has been trolling me about switching off lights when I don’t need them or am not in the room. In the beginning, it was really hard for me because I am incredibly absent-minded when it comes to stuff like that but I made a concerted effort. Even with my concerted effort, however, I still managed to leave the lights on.
It got a bit interesting when I moved house. The main bathroom of that house has a really loud extractor fan that comes on as soon as one switches the light on.
“Brrrrrrr…”
“Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr…”
That’s the drone-like noise that reminds one to get up and switch the lights off if one ever leaves them on. My brain started associating ‘lights left on’ (or, ‘light’) with that noise really quickly, and so I got a whole lot better at remembering to switch lights off.
“Yus, that light is loud…” I said to myself last week – it triggered a series of revelatory thought patterns and it was like I suddenly understood a few things that Jesus said, in a new way.
“And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illuminates the entire house. You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and in turn may praise your Father in Heaven because of it.”
(Matthew 5:14-16 The Voice)
As an adjective, the dictionary describes loudness as ‘being characterised by or producing sound of great volume or intensity.’ Light, is ‘the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible,’ and to stimulate is to ‘encourage or arouse interest or enthusiasm in.’
Once we have accepted Jesus and allowed him to take control of our lives there is something miraculous that occurs and he starts working inside of us, changing us. When Jesus (who is pure light) resides inside of us, it is almost impossible for other people not to see Him. Our light should stimulate other’s interest or enthusiasm for Jesus, or even just for more in life – and it will if we are walking with the Holy Spirit.
I’ve gone through all of the stages of guilt as a Christian because I thought that maybe I should have said more, or done more, but I was wrong. Me just living out who Jesus made me and not underestimating the work of the Holy Spirit in and through my life, makes everything that I do LOUD and STIMULATE interest in him.
I would like to pair what the Bible says about light with sound. In a dark room, even just a bit of light is loud. It shouts. When someone’s wearing really bright clothing we say that they’re dressed loudly, and in both those cases/scenarios, not a word was spoken. It’s not so much a case of trying to be relevant as it is a case of just living your life.
Now, I’m not suggesting you never speak out about truth (please do, in every and any occasion possible), but I am saying that because of the state of the world right now, as soon as you switch your proverbial light on you can’t do anything but shine out loud.