Who are you when times get tough? Do you show up, do your job with excellence, and continue to add value, or do you shut down, fall back, and look for someone else to lead the way?
Jesus of Nazareth was a first-century Jewish religious leader who is considered by Christians to be the Son of God, and his life and teachings form the basis of Christianity.
He is the ultimate example of how to show up and lead during dark times.
Jesus taught about love, forgiveness, and compassion. He emphasized the importance of following God's will and living a good, righteous life. His teachings are recorded in the New Testament of the Bible.
One of my favorite verses about Jesus is Matthew 5:14-16. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither can you be hidden. You are the light of the world."
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be beacons of light in a world often covered in darkness. This doesn't mean we have to be perfect or have all the answers, but it does mean we are to reflect the light of Christ in our lives.
When times get tough, people can and should look to us to lead the way.
Another one of my favorite Jesus messages is the story of him and his disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a terrible storm in Mark 4:35-41:
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Jesus had just finished preaching to thousands, and while they were on the sea, a terrible storm, like a hurricane, threatened to destroy their boat. All the disciples on the boat were afraid, but Jesus was at peace and was sleeping during the storm.
They couldn’t believe this. How could Jesus be so calm and peaceful when they were fearing for their lives?
He was calm in the storm because of His faith.
My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
When you believe in God, you can have peace in the middle of any storm knowing that as long as you do your part, everything will work out for good.
In doing this, you can be shining light, like a city on a hill, in the middle of darkness for all to see and follow.
SOMETHING(s) TO THINK ABOUT
1 - What is your biggest takeaway from the story of Jesus?
2 - Who do you want to be when times get tough? Will you show up, do your job with excellence, and continue to add value, or will you shut down, fall back, and look for someone else to lead the way?
3 - When you are in the middle of a storm, are you calm like Jesus because you know all things work together for good, or do you panic like his disciples did?
4 - How can you seek Jesus more and work to be more like Him?
My Prayer
Our Father. Thank you for sending Jesus to show us how to live and lead in the middle of darkness and through the storms of life. Please help me remember to follow his ways when I am going through my own storms so that I too can be the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, and I don’t want to be hidden either. I want to be the light of the world. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
For a printable PDF, click here: Jesus: Be a Light
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