“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it’s light can be seen by all who enter the house. Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.” -Luke 11:33-35
These words are from Jesus, himself. He is letting us know how to receive the light, be the light and share the light. A lamp is meant to be seen, not hidden, which makes perfect sense. Why buy a lamp, if you want to sit in the dark? The purpose of a lamp, is to light the room. In this analogy, we are the light. As believers, we must lead by example. When we know God, we know peace. But, not everyone knows God, which means not everyone experiences peace. That’s where we come in! When we step outside, we should be consciously aware of this notion, Be The Light!
I’ll admit, Love and Hip Hop on Vh1 is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know that this show is filled with drama, pettiness and scripted fights, but I just can’t seem to turn it off. The problem with this is that, this show doesn’t fill me with any positivity, encouragement or enlightenment. It is pure entertainment. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with watching a TV show that may not be the best for you, but it becomes an issue when that’s the only thing your putting in your mind. Society has become desensitized to sex, violence and reality t.v. Since, we see so much of it, it becomes the norm. The truth is, this couldn’t be furthest from what the norm should be. The truth is, not everyone lives in nice homes, drives fancy cars or wears $2,000 shoes. The women on the show are flawless, but the truth is, they didn’t wake up like that. These type of shows start to bring darkness if we are not able to separate real life from fake life. The truth is, there is nothing ‘reality’ about reality t.v. When we start to compare our lives, wish for things they have that we don’t or want to change who we are to be like someone we are not, the darkness has entered.
We have to make conscious decisions of the what we watch and listen too. If we are constantly watching Love and Hip Hop, Keeping Up With The Kardashians or The Bachelor; We lose sight of the light. We need to create a balance within our life. For every “bad” thing we watch, there should be three “good” things. Since, Jesus says our eye is the lamp that provides light for our entire body, we must make sure to see good things so that we can be filled with good things. Reading the word, watching pastoral sermons or listening to podcasts of Hope and inspiration, is a start. When we seek to be filled with good things, our light shines brighter and brighter. We are the ones in control of what we see, hear and fill our minds with. Although, the media dictates what information is put out for the masses, it is up to us to turn it on or off. So, as much as I love my Love and Hip Hop, I’m aware that it is not exactly ‘the best’ thing for me to be watching. I’m aware that the behaviors I see and the words I hear on this show, doesn’t represent “Being The Light.” It is up to us, to pray, read and fill my mind, body and soul with good things; So, we can Be The Light in this world.