Lite Brite

(This is from an old blog of mine I ran across today, written on 02/06. I thought it was worthy of a re-post here) :)

This afternoon at my parent’s house, my mom pulled out my old Lite Brite. (You know, where you stick the pegs in the black paper to make designs, and they light up.) Abby and I had a great time making all sorts of pictures! It was a lot of fun. I’ll get back to this.

I’ve been contemplating pride lately. It affects everyone. We can be prideful of our abilities, giftedness, appearance, position, talents, children, acts of kindness, apparent righteousness, status, whatever!

And as I played Lite Brite, I realized I am a peg. Plain, boring, and dull. However, when the light shines through me, I’m bright and colorful! Imagine if a yellow peg said to the blue peg, “I’m so much brighter than you! Look at how shiny I am! I’m the best peg!” It would seem ridiculous. They’re both equally boring and plain and dull. The light is what makes them shine. It has nothing to do with them.

Everything I am – talents, possessions, abilities, giftedness, lack of ability even – it all came from God. He created me for a purpose. When I’m connected to Him, He makes me shine. It’s not my own doing, and to brag about it, even in my innermost heart, would be absurd.

Now I see even more clearly what Jeremiah meant, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” Amen to that!

Of course, the analogy can go even further. If I’m not in Christ, I’m in darkness. There is no in between. I praise God for sending Jesus, His Light, to our dark world so we don’t have to live in the dark anymore!