My husband loves to tinker with outdoor lighting. Solar lights dot our landscaping. Tucked in among sweet pansies, prickly holly, and sleepy crepe myrtles, they soak up the light of the sun. You hardly know they’re there. Some are disguised as rocks. Others nestle in the groundcover. 

But when the sun melts into the horizon, the sky darkens to indigo, and one by one, the little solar lights flicker on. Powered by the sun’s rays, their lights burst into the darkness. 

Scripture gives an example of one who reflected God’s light–literally. In the Old Testament, Moses spent so much one-on-one time with God, his face reflected God’s glory. In fact, Moses’ face glowed so much that it frightened his fellow Israelites. Moses had to hide his face behind a veil (Exodus 34:29-35). 

Solar lights offer three lessons about reflecting the light of the Son:

1. Solar lights don’t work well if their access to the sun is impaired. A tangle of dead weeds. Untrimmed bushes. Dense cloud cover. Is something blocking your Light?
2. Solar lights do their best work in the dark. They add little to the light of day. Are you trying to shine in full sun? Are you avoiding the dark?
3. Solar lights highlight something besides themselves. Trees. Architecture. Walkways. They are designed to draw attention to something greater than themselves. To what are you pointing?

Frank Laubach references the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-21; Mark 9:1-29; Luke 9:28-43) in this quote, “It is our duty to live in the beauty of the presence of God on some mount of transfiguration until we become white with Christ. After all, the deepest truth is that the Christ-like life is glorious, undefeatably glorious. There is no defeat unless one loses God, and then all is defeat, though it be housed in castles and buried in fortunes.” 

God has placed you in a special spot in His landscaping called Earth. Soak Him up, then shine. Highlight His Word, His ways, His truth.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV

Workout of the Week: Reflections on Solar Lights

Memory Verse: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV

Meditation Passage: Exodus 34:29-35

Do It: Spend time with Him, then light up the darkness.