A person who refuses to examine his own weaknesses may become uncomfortable when he encounters someone who is growing, succeeding, living with integrity, or walking confidently in purpose.
Instead of asking, What can I learn from this person, he may begin to look for faults.
Sometimes, another person’s light does not expose you because they intend to shame you. It simply reveals what you have refused to confront within yourself.
THE ANCIENT STORY OF THE MAN AND THE LAMP
An ancient story tells of a man who lived in a village where people used lamps at night.
One evening, a man returned home carrying a bright lamp. As he walked through the village, his light illuminated the path before him.
Another man became uncomfortable because the light revealed the dirt around his own compound.
Rather than cleaning his compound, he complained about the lamp.
The following night, he tried to cover the lamp with mud so that its light would become weaker.
An old man watching him said, You are not fighting the lamp because it is wrong. You are fighting it because it is revealing what you do not want to see.
The man became silent.
The wisdom of the story is simple.
Sometimes, the light we criticize in others is revealing something we need to confront in ourselves.
A person’s excellence may expose our negligence.
Another person’s discipline may expose our inconsistency.
Another person’s peace may expose our bitterness.
Another person’s progress may expose our stagnation.
Another person’s integrity may expose compromises we have learned to tolerate.
But instead of allowing the revelation to produce growth, some people try to destroy the person whose life has become a mirror.
Do not stain another person’s light because it reveals your shadow.
DEEP LESSONS
CONFRONT YOUR OWN SHADOWS
Self examination is better than blaming others. Before judging another person’s weakness, examine your own heart.
DO NOT DESTROY WHAT YOU SHOULD LEARN FROM
Sometimes the person you criticize carries a lesson you need. Instead of asking why they are shining, ask what their journey can teach you.
LIGHT WILL ALWAYS REVEAL
When someone else’s life reveals something uncomfortable about you, do not immediately attack the light. Examine what has been revealed.
YOUR CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR OPINION
You cannot control how people interpret your actions, but you can control the integrity with which you live.
KEEP SHINING WITHOUT BECOMING PROUD
The answer to those who try to stain your light is not arrogance or retaliation. It is continued character.
MATTHEW 5:16 KJV
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
AUTHOR’S QUOTE
When a person refuses to confront the darkness within, he may spend his energy trying to dim the light around him.
Never waste your light trying to prove to darkness that you are shining.
Keep shining.
Some shadows disappear when the light becomes stronger.
