A PERSONAL LIGHT

Yesterday, after some physical and spirit filled exercise with a friend, I took the opportunity to sit in my chair on the driveway and soak in the
sunshine. It was bright, warm and soothing enough to allow me to close my eyes and drift off to sleep for an hour!

The weather forecast called for clouds to move in and rain later during the day. I think the clouds must have distorted the sunlight because I
woke up slightly chilled and not as comfortable as I had been in the
full sunlight! Then my new cell phone rang I fumbled it out of my hip
holder trying to clear my head enough to remember how to answer it.
Some how I pushed the right button and it was another friend calling to
verify our plans for the afternoon.

I moved my chair back into the house and thought about how frustrated I had been the night before when I could not figure out to use my big
fingers on my new phone. I tried four times to punch in a set of
numbers and kept hitting two numbers at a time. Then I saw the text
keyboard with even smaller keys and so many options when you push this
button or that button. It takes photos, has things like instant
messaging, connects to my web, face book, my email and gives weather
reports! It probably could automatically flush my toilet with the proper
programming!

I lost it! I could not adjust to all this technology when for 8 years I simply punched in a number and pushed a green button to call and red button to
hang up! I had listened to the same ring tone and knew how to answer
my voice mail on my real phone and not this new gadget that I was
supposed to use from now on! I wanted my old phone back, but the
service had been turned off by some technical process I could not
control.

I started ranting and threatened to throw my new phone through the window or drown it in the toilet. My dear wife patiently showed me how to open it and
which buttons, arrows or side bars to push so I could use the phone.
Four times I tried to dial a number, but kept hitting two or three keys
at a time and failing to dial the number I wanted. Time and time
again she showed me what to do and I constantly raised my voice in
frustration lashed out in anger.( Let's face it, I took it out on
her.) Then she showed me I had 4 voice mails and I had not even
programmed a password or recorded my greeting yet! She held the phone
in front of me and told me to say my name. That is now my greeting and I
apologize to you in advance for my harshness. Somehow, she knew my
voice mail password and which buttons to push to listen to voice mails
with sweet, professional, yet sultry voices welcome me to my new phone
company. I have not learned the erase, repeat, or save button numbers
yet.

I believe that Christ is the light of the world and provides us with the hope of salvation and sets us free from our sins. The light He offers is the
power to overcome our sinful nature and see the way to produce the
fruits of the Holy spirit.

When we bask in His light we display the by products of living for God in peace, joy, gentleness, self- control, kindness and so much more. But just as the
clouds had covered the sun during my afternoon nap, the cloud of the
loss of my self-control in dealing with a new phone, revealed my sinful
nature once again! Instead of living in the Son's light I abused my
wife's display of gentleness, kindness and patience with me and
displayed the power of being over overcome by the rotten fruit produced
in my sinful response to a new phone.

My wife patiently rebuked me for my attitude of undeserved anger displayed against her and I apologized. But more than that, in spite of the fact
that I still have an uneasiness about using my new phone, she forgave
me. Her display of the fruits of the spirit gave me the desire to ask
for and receive God's forgiveness. God created sunlight for me to bask
in and rest for an hour, but more importantly, He has provided me the
light of his Son to bask in for eternity!

Blessings, Steve