The "High Beam" Problem
It happened again this past week, when I drove home after the Wednesday Public School Confirmation Class. I was navigating the slalom course that is Country Trunk J. Up ahead, around the curve, came a sedan, being tailgated by full-size pickup with aftermarket LED lights, stacked three-vertical. So bright they could have blinded pilots trying to land over at the Minocqua airport. For a few seconds, I was blinded, and I thought, “DIM YOUR LIGHTS!" I wanted to flash my headlights, but I couldn't without blinding the driver of the sedan being tailgated by the pick-up.
As I navigated the next bend, I was still fuming at the driver of the pick-up. How could he be so insensitive? So clueless? So stupid? Blinding me. Blinding the driver he was tailgating. My thoughts steamed. And the air inside of my Traverse may also have been clouded by a few things I said.
It was then I realized that the pick-up driver failed to him his lights, but I had dimmed mine.
The Dimming Effect of Sin
I dimmed my lights with my angry thoughts and some nasty words. Even though no one else could know my thoughts or hear those words, my Father in Heaven did. (1 Chronicles 28:9) And in that moment, he knew that I had dimmed the light of my faith.
That happens to all of us--whenever we allow sin to take root in our heart, our mind, our mouth, or our hands and our feet. The Apostle John wrote, "If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice." (1 John 1:6) It’s as if our sin acts like a layer of dust on the lamp of our faith. The bulb is still burning, but the glow can’t pierce through the grime.
Fortunately, we don't have to stay dimmed. In the very next verses, John explains, "But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9)
The Dimming Effect of Fear
At other times, we dim our lights intentionally because we are afraid of how others will react. We don’t want to be "that holier-than-thou Christian" at the office or in the neighborhood who comes on too strong. We worry that if our faith shines out on high-beam, we will annoy people, make them squint, or even be completely rejected. So, we click our spiritual high beams down to the lowest setting. We blend in.
Maybe we ought to confer with the Apostle Paul, the next time we are tempted to dim our faith because of fear! Arguably, Pail endured far more pressure to dim the light of his faith than any of us ever will. (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-32!) And yet Paul could shout, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes―to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16) Paul also shares this encouragement, “For God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment." (2 Timothy 1:7)
Don't Dim Your Lights!
Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, shared this high-beam encouragement. “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket. No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).
In a world that is increasingly cold and shadowed, people don’t need us to blend into the darkness. They need us to help them see. Christ's light--pure, radiant, glorious, gracious—isn’t meant to blind people; it’s meant to save them, guide them. Don't dim your lights. Someone might just be using your glow to find their way home.
Privileged to Serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
It happened again this past week, when I drove home after the Wednesday Public School Confirmation Class. I was navigating the slalom course that is Country Trunk J. Up ahead, around the curve, came a sedan, being tailgated by full-size pickup with aftermarket LED lights, stacked three-vertical. So bright they could have blinded pilots trying to land over at the Minocqua airport. For a few seconds, I was blinded, and I thought, “DIM YOUR LIGHTS!" I wanted to flash my headlights, but I couldn't without blinding the driver of the sedan being tailgated by the pick-up.
As I navigated the next bend, I was still fuming at the driver of the pick-up. How could he be so insensitive? So clueless? So stupid? Blinding me. Blinding the driver he was tailgating. My thoughts steamed. And the air inside of my Traverse may also have been clouded by a few things I said.
It was then I realized that the pick-up driver failed to him his lights, but I had dimmed mine.
The Dimming Effect of Sin
I dimmed my lights with my angry thoughts and some nasty words. Even though no one else could know my thoughts or hear those words, my Father in Heaven did. (1 Chronicles 28:9) And in that moment, he knew that I had dimmed the light of my faith.
That happens to all of us--whenever we allow sin to take root in our heart, our mind, our mouth, or our hands and our feet. The Apostle John wrote, "If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice." (1 John 1:6) It’s as if our sin acts like a layer of dust on the lamp of our faith. The bulb is still burning, but the glow can’t pierce through the grime.
Fortunately, we don't have to stay dimmed. In the very next verses, John explains, "But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9)
The Dimming Effect of Fear
At other times, we dim our lights intentionally because we are afraid of how others will react. We don’t want to be "that holier-than-thou Christian" at the office or in the neighborhood who comes on too strong. We worry that if our faith shines out on high-beam, we will annoy people, make them squint, or even be completely rejected. So, we click our spiritual high beams down to the lowest setting. We blend in.
Maybe we ought to confer with the Apostle Paul, the next time we are tempted to dim our faith because of fear! Arguably, Pail endured far more pressure to dim the light of his faith than any of us ever will. (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-32!) And yet Paul could shout, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes―to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16) Paul also shares this encouragement, “For God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment." (2 Timothy 1:7)
Don't Dim Your Lights!
Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, shared this high-beam encouragement. “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket. No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).
In a world that is increasingly cold and shadowed, people don’t need us to blend into the darkness. They need us to help them see. Christ's light--pure, radiant, glorious, gracious—isn’t meant to blind people; it’s meant to save them, guide them. Don't dim your lights. Someone might just be using your glow to find their way home.
Privileged to Serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
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