You Are The "Fiber Optic Light" Of The World
Humans are much like a single strand of a fiber-optic cable. Like the optical fiber, our existence is meaningless unless we are conducting light. And like the optical fiber, none of us have any light of our own. There is only one source of light and that's Jesus.
Most optical fibers are called "end glow" because light is supposed to come out of the end and not the sides. If an "end-glow" fiber allows light to escape from the sides it is because it has been damaged. When Christians are "damaged" by hardship, pain or suffering the Light inside comes out in the direction of that pain.
Likewise, as we allow God to use us, He shines through us in ways that allow the light to reach others who have experienced the same pain.
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12).
911 Operator Arrested For Hanging Up
CNN reports:
After hanging up mid-sentence on a caller, a Houston 911 call center operator was heard on a recording saying, "Ain't nobody got time for this. For real," according to charging documents.
That call center operator identified as Crenshanda Williams was arrested and charged after allegedly hanging up on what could be thousands of emergency callers, according to the documents.
The 43-year-old had been placed under police investigation after her supervisors noticed that she had an abnormally large number of calls that lasted less than 20 seconds.
A review of the Houston Emergency Center database found that "thousands of short calls have been attributed to the defendant" from October 2015 to March 2016.
When interviewed by Houston Police in June, Williams allegedly told officers she often hung up on calls because she did not want to talk to anyone at that time. She was charged with interference with an emergency telephone call, which is a misdemeanor.
God asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9).
Jesus described His mission by declaring, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends” (John 15:13). He then went on to demonstrate the answer to Cain’s question by going to the cross and paying for the sins of the world. Yes, we are our brother’s keeper! If we are followers of Jesus, we “got time for this!”
The Great Christmas Goat
Carol Off and Jeff Douglas with CBC Radio report:
Every year, a giant straw Christmas goat appears in the town square in Gävle, Sweden. And almost every year, someone sets it on fire.
… On Sunday night, the goat was set alight only hours after the town held its official welcome party.
This year it wasn't supposed to happen.
Authorities in the town had installed security cameras around the beloved goat. Two guards were hired to watch the giant straw animal.
"One of the guards went to the toilet," says Gävle goat spokesperson, Marie Wallberg. "Then the perpetrator took advantage of this opportunity."
The Gävle goat has been installed in the town centre for 50 years, and has been burned down 35 times.
"Every year we hope that he is going to stay with us," says Wallberg. "Sadly, he often turns to fire."
… Meanwhile, there is a campaign to raise money to build another Gävle goat before Christmas.
A big part of the problem here is that the folks at Gävle insist on constructing their giant Christmas goat out of straw. You would think that after having it lit on fire and burned to the ground 35 times, they would have made an adjustment by now.
This begs the question, have you allowed yourself to be burned again and again? What vulnerabilities do you continue to leave out there, despite the pain it has caused you again and again?
This is what happens when we allow the opinions and actions of people to mean too much to us. Like dry straw, our self esteem is left to the destructive whims of others.
Don’t allow disrespect or mistreatment by others to send you up in smoke. Fortify yourself by placing more importance on what God thinks of you.
God sent His Son into this world because He loves you and values you above all else.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35).
"May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God" (Ephesians 3:19, NLT).