Lighting My Lamp

Lighting My Lamp

I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2

Back in the early days when electricity was first being introduced to a little Scottish village, almost everybody in a particular church switched from their long-used propane lanterns to the new electricity just as soon as it could be hooked up. Most of them could hardly wait to flip the switch for the first time.

However, the oldest couple in the congregation could not get their electricity as quickly as everyone else because they were waiting for the poles to go up and the wire to be strung. So they continued to use their propane lanterns without complaining.

The day finally came when the electricity was brought into their home. Everyone came for the festive event. The old man waited with anticipation for it to get dark; then he told his wife to go turn on the switch. When she did, the bright new electric light filled the room, and everyone cheered.

The old man grinned from ear to ear, picked up a propane lamp, and said, “It sure makes lighting my lamps easier.” And with that, he lit one of their old faithful lamps, and then his wife turned off the electricity.

Sometimes we’re just like that, aren’t we? We resist change, even when change would make life altogether better for us. But life is continual change, one day at a time, from the cradle to the grave. And the wise accept the changes for good that come into their lives.

O Lord, help me embrace the changes you send to help me grow up in wisdom and faith. Please give me a double portion of your wisdom so that I will always follow you with joy and hope. Amen.