“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14–16.)

So as most of you know by now I have a little obsession with succulents and I actually enjoy getting new garden gadgets to go with them. My latest addition is my solar powered watering can. It has lights coming down to look like it is actually watering the plants. During the day it is just an ordinary looking can but at night, oh what a beauty it displays.

Then I started thinking about what a wonderful analogy that little watering can is to our spiritual lives. You see, it sits there looking plain and useless during the daytime but it is actually absorbing energy from the sun. All day long the sun is pouring power into that can. So it is with us. We are planted by Christ in the place He has chosen for us. It may look like an ordinary place, it may be in the midst of a beautiful garden, or it may be hidden away where no one can see it, but wherever we are we need to be absorbing power from the Son. We need to stay put and bask in the light of who He is. He is a wonderful Savior. He is the Creator of all things. He is our Father, our Best Friend, our Guide. He is our loving Shepherd, who holds us close to His heart.

We also need to absorb his promises and remember that not one of them will fail. He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. He promises that He who began a good work in us will finish it to completion. He promises strength for our journey and joy even in the midst of sorrow. He promises heaven and an eternity with Him.

Our circumstances may seem too hot to handle sometime. The light may seem blinding but every ounce of that “sonlight “ is preparing us to shine. It is only in the dark that the beauty of that watering can is displayed. So it is with us my friend. In our every day lives we need to soak in the Son so that in the dark times we can have power, shine our light, and bring beauty to the blackest of nights. We need to remember, though, that we are not our own power source. So when trials hit us hard we need not despair because we know where our strength comes from- the all powerful Son. Just when we think we can’t make it anymore, remember that He is carrying us through. When others see us shining with joy in the midst of sorrow or beautifully displaying peace in the midst of chaos we can only do one thing- lift our eyes toward heaven and give all glory to the Son who supplied us with the power to shine.