The water around a boat is safe, it’s the water that gets inside the boat that sinks the ship.
A verse that always confused me for some time was Matthew 5:14.
The NIV version translates Jesus’ words this way,
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
That’s a powerful statement, and for someone like me who grew up surrounded by insecurity, I struggled with that statement for many years.
I let my surrounding circumstances haunt my inner peace and my inner joy far too often.
I let the water around me get inside of me.
Statements like:
“You will never be good enough”
“You failed before and you will fail again”
Always played around in my head.
Today, I often find myself feeling insecure, but I also know the true God who lives inside me is greater than how I feel.
The Holy Spirit still declares Jesus’ words over our lives:
“You are the light of the world.”
I know the truth of those words are being tested today.
The reality is, the greater the darkness around us, the greater the light within us will also shine.
If you feel like you are surrounded by
fear,
uncertainty,
loneliness,
or something else,
don’t let what’s around you change the life and love inside of you.
Maybe today you don’t feel strong,
you don’t feel courageous,
You don’t feel like the light of the world.
By God’s power, allow the Holy Spirit inside you to be greater than your feelings.
One personal resolution of mine is to live by faith rather than my feelings.
Yes, there are days when those words are hard to live by.
There are days when I fail to meet those expectations.
I also know there is a God I believe in, who has called me by name, who is greater than my feelings and my failures.
So again,
Don’t let the water around you or the circumstances that surround you
shake the light God has placed within you.
Action Steps:
- What are you planning to do today to meet with the God who is greater than our circumstances? Do you have a Bible reading plan? Are you spending time in prayer?
- What are you doing to encourage, support, and even role model to others what it means to keep the circumstances around you from getting inside of you?
Prayer
Lord, give us the faith to see You are beyond our fears.
Give us the faith to see You are beyond our hardships.
Give us the faith to see You are beyond disease.
Grant us the strength to act courageously despite how we feel.
Help us stand firm in the midst of adversity, in Jesus’ name, amen.