Stopping for gasoline in my small country town, I came upon a startling revelation.  As I went in to pay for the gas, I passed a man coming out.  When he saw me he quickly turned his head away from me and down.

I paid for the fuel and walked back to the little truck.  For some reason the man had not left.  Instead he was on his way back into the store.  And so we passed again.

This time the man’s aversion was radical.  There was no question he preferred any place but there.   Frankly, I was surprised he did not turn around and get back in his car.

Neither of us spoke a word, the first time or the second.  His pain was so obvious I did not desire to add to it by saying hello.

I wear a dark blue ball cap.  On the cap are the words “Think Eternity”, and a small cross.  The power of those words and the symbol that accompanies them caused the man his obvious anguish.

As I drove away I pondered the man’s life.  He has friends.  He has relatives.  He has those who love him.   He has a history and a reputation.  In short he has what he considers “a life”.

But if he cannot bear two small words and a symbol on the hat of a man, what will he do when he is face to face with a blazing glory of God?

That man is the most pronounced reaction I have ever seen.  Most people avoid my eyes.  But I have never seen anyone react that violently on the inside.  It gives me cause to ponder who I am becoming, by the strength of God within me.

I am like the filament of a lightbulb.  What chases the darkness away is not the glass.  It is the blazing fire within.

The filament does not perceive what happens beyond its light.  And it does not command or control those who live in darkness.  The filament simply blazes light.  And it does not consider its value.

The value is perceived by he who placed the light.  And it is used by those who live in darkness.

We are the light of the world, by Christ who lives within.  We testify with words and actions.  But the testimony within us speaks soul to soul.

Every tree is shaken.  Excuses evaporate like a drop of water on a hot burner.  And the hearts of men are starkly revealed.

May God receive the bounty that is rightfully his.  All glory to the Father through the Son, by his people and the might of His Holy Spirit upon us.  Amen.