DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A SMALL LIGHT BULB!
Setting: Our week at a resort in Florida.
Causal agency: A failed light bulb on one side of a step-down into the living area.
Action: Call Maintenance, and Freddie comes to our door, replacement bulb in hand. He unscrews the cover on the bad bulb—and it lights! Wasn’t burned out, after all. He replaces it anyway, and in the course of conversation, I sense something. “Are you a believer?” I ask. “Yes,” he replies and then launches into a sad story of co-workers giving him a hard time because of his faith and feeling lonely in his job. A sweet guy who doesn’t wear any shoulder chips. Anyway, we hug and pray and send him on his way, marveling at the creative ways God brings good to his servants.
And from the lowly to the high—an ASTRONAUT who did three flight missions in the early ’90s.
Setting: A visit to the Kennedy Space Center.
Causal agency: A talk by Charles “Sam” Gemar in which he comments on how proud he had felt in being chosen for a flight in 1990. HE was really something! That thought gets sidetracked, but after our picture-taking session, I bring it up again. He nods and affirms that no matter how important you think you are, space flight makes you realize your littleness. Humility is a valuable commodity, especially in today’s world.
Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and HUMILITY comes before honor. Proverbs 15:33
My spear-point of humility: I am a good writer. BUT 3 of my 5 books were published only through acts of God, and another flopped because of a poorly written ending. The fifth one we won’t even talk about. I am waiting for yet another act of God for #6.
Light and humility.
GOD IS LIGHT; in Him is no darkness at all. Our little lights emanate from His Being—the GREAT I AM.
What light—instructive or humbling—has He shined on your life?
Comment below or email: egus@me.com
Double-click page to enlarge.
A light bulb means a bit more to me than most folk. My 37 year career was making lighting better and more efficient. For many years I worked on development of the CFL (compact fluorescent lamp). As I read your blog I too find myself linking that involvement to humility perhaps in a slightly different context. For decades the industry worked tirelessly to bring innovative lighting products to market. That effort was rightfully driven by market forces. Then the government got involved with the creation of the DOE (Department of Energy). For the last ten years of my career I worked with bureaucrats in Washington to keep these arrogant regulators from destroying the lighting business. I was only marginally successful. From first hand knowledge I can state that the only ‘accomplishment’ of the DOE was the raising of prices, the destruction of manufacturing operations and the flight of jobs over seas. There is nothing they ever did that increased lighting efficiency one iota. Ah humility, there is a dangerous dearth of it in government.. With a Trump presidency brighter (forgive the pun) days are hopefully ahead of us.
I know that the Light is the salvation I received from the Holy Spirit. But all the darkness has not yet left me completely. For some of us leaving the padt and the darkness behind is not so simple.
Great thoughts!