If Your Candle Sputters

I keep a candle in my bathroom that gives off the scent of sweet cinnamon. You would think it would be easy to light but the wooden wick is hard to light, making it difficult to sustain a flame. I constantly find myself fighting to keep the small blaze from puffing out.

Becoming a light for Christ feels similar. There are days my light shines brighter than the flame on a candle. My interactions with my family, friends, and strangers show Christ through me as I serve in love, just as Jesus commanded in Matthew 20:28. There are days it is easy to daily take my cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23) by setting aside my wants and desires to help others with their dreams and goals. Many times I can sit at the computer, jump onto my favorite sites, and infuse my words with scripture; those I interact with know my heart, mind, and soul belong to Christ (Luke 10:27).

Then there are the other days where that stubborn wick refuses to catch on fire and I find myself snapping at the kids, caught up in my own selfish desires to do what I want to do and when I sit at the computer the weight of the world falls on my shoulders and I find myself typing out words that attack, rather than uplift. To my shame, my heart, mind, and soul become filled with bitter smoke until I find myself on my knees, repenting.

I think many Christians hate to admit that we’re not perfect. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:15 to Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. When our light fails to shine, we tend to try to justify ourselves or hide our failures rather than admitting that we, too, are just sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). And yet if we do stumble, can remember that we have an advocate with the Father, and that advocate is Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1).


Fiery Notes ▼

Written for: "The Christian Writing Contest" 
Word Count: 343
Prompt: Write a non-fiction piece based on the trinket (candle)