High Beams

There are two things I started having difficulties with after having children: amusement park rides and driving at night.

Thankfully, my sudden inability to stomach riding on large contraptions that spin me haphazardly through the air is easy to avoid.

Driving after sunset, however, creeps up much more often.

And so it was that I found myself on high alert tonight as I drove my oldest daughter home from her swim meet. Forty five miles through winding, pitch black, creature-filled country roads made me more than a little nervous.

After watching two deer run a few meters in front of me and narrowly missing a large raccoon, I finally gave in and turned on my high beams.

The road was instantly lit, and my muscles relaxed. For a minute, anyway. Because as all of us who have used our high beams know, you have to turn them off as soon as headlights appear in front of you.

On, off. Light, dark. Relaxed, tense. Playing the little dance of "can I or can I not see more than a few feet in front of me" was getting to me.

Letting my thoughts drift, I reminisced about times that I had to adjust the brightness of my inner light.

When I first became a Christian, I had my high beams on at all times. Anyone who came in contact with me heard the gospel of Christ. I was passionate and I wanted everyone around me to feel what I felt.

The problem was, high beams sometimes cause people to squint and look away.

I needed to learn how to adjust my light. Matthew 5:14-15 tells us, "You are the light of the world. A city 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."

A city on a hill gives off a bright light from a distance. To me, I think of this as doing things that reflect Christ to many people, things like writing or speaking publicly. I think of people who I don't know well who live their lives for Christ in a way that anyone can see their passion.

A lamp on its stand in the house provides a warm glow. It invites people into its presence. This reminds me of people who I love, family members and friends, who I know that I can turn to if I need Godly counsel. People who I want to be around, because they make me feel the presence of God's love.

Sometimes high beams are necessary. There are times when we need to be bold and bright in our witness. But being able to provide the right light for each situation will help us to show Christ to those who might otherwise have looked away.