As I scrolled through Facebook the other day, I came across a picture of 2 candles next to each other. One candle was lit and even though they were not touching, the other candle wick was smoking and starting to light just from the heat of the flame next to it. Underneath the picture it said, “Do not underestimate the power of connection.”
This concept made me think of God’s word that we have seen in our sermon "Bumper video" on Sunday mornings lately, from Matthew 5:14-16. It says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
So, what does this mean exactly? Well, in my mind I think it means that we can be an example to others. We can “Be the light”, by being kind, caring, and thoughtful. We can also “Be the light” through service and good deeds, loving people unconditionally, and praying that others might just fall in line when they see us doing so.
For example, last summer, I purchased a package for unlimited car washes at Mister Car Wash on Saginaw. I drove through there at least once a week for a couple months to get my truck washed, and not once did I think about giving the car wash attendant a tip. I just drove right up to the gate that opened automatically when I approached it, and then straight through to the wash without having to speak to anybody.
Then, one afternoon when I went to get my truck washed, I noticed the driver in the car ahead of me roll down their window and hand the attendant some cash for a tip. In turn, this caused me to quickly search through my purse and find some cash because then I wanted to leave a tip too! Well, at the time, all I could find was a $5 bill, which is a little much for an $8 car wash, but something prompted me to give it to him anyways, so I did, and his eyes lit up!
His eyes lit up and he thanked me in such a way that it brought tears to mine, and my heart exploded with joy! I call this "The kind of joy that only God can give" because there is nothing else in the world like it, and it all started with the person ahead of me setting that example and me wanting to follow. It was a connection, a simple act of kindness, or a flame that was lit by the driver of the car in front of me that carried on to the vehicle behind him, and hopefully to the cars that were behind us. A chain reaction you could say, a blessing to the attendant, and a power that we should never underestimate.
Now I leave a large tip everywhere that I go, including the car wash, just to see the light in people’s eyes when they receive it, because to me, that is a reflection of God’s love and appreciation looking back.