100 Days of HopeSample

Turn The Light On For A Neighbor

It is interesting to hear the words people use to describe the way they used to live before knowing Christ. People will sometimes say words like “sadness,” “anger,” "loneliness,” and “darkness.” In a microfinance meeting here in Guaricanos, Dominican Republic, working with HOPE’s partner, Esperanza International, I heard a woman say that “Jesus turned the light on in my life.”

In the Dominican Republic, especially in poorer areas, electricity is more of a luxury than a way of life. When there is electricity, it’s a short-lived celebration. And when it goes, which is daily, it’s a constant source of frustration and fear, as the darkness halts work and brings danger with the coming night.

So it is quite fitting to hear a woman use this metaphor when she describes the experience of coming to know Christ. For a woman like her, already economically poor when her husband left her and her two children, it must have felt like darkness all around her. But now, hearing her story of transformation, she speaks of the warmth and the radiance of love that her church community continues to shine on her. Full of confidence, economically stable, and with a tangible sense of hope and a grasp on the joy of eternal salvation, she is spreading light to her neighbors in her community.

Today, help to turn the light on for someone in your community. Show them the light and warmth of Christ that comes from knowing that his grace has saved us from darkness.

Prayer: Father, thank you for saving us from darkness and bringing us into light. Give us courage to share about your amazing grace today.