A Flame Relit (07/07/2025)

Recently, a dear friend gave me a small picture of a saying by Albert Schweitzer. It read: “At times our inner light goes out and is rekindled by a flame from another. Each of us owes deep gratitude to those who have relit the flame within us.” It touched me because I know it to be true.

I’ve shared with you my biggest faith crisis when I couldn’t understand why bad things were happening to me. I realized I wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t feel I was “bad.” My father had promised me early in my life that “God takes care of good people.” And as I struggled in my pain, I just couldn’t believe my father’s words anymore. But then he spoke to me on the phone. He asked me to look at a crucifix. Then he asked me if there was anyone more good, more loving, more holy than Christ. I had to answer “no.” Then he said, “Kate, God does take care of good people. It just doesn’t always look like what you think it should.” And in that moment, I truly felt Christ reaching out for me, asking me to come closer so that I might better understand His love. My father “relit” my flame, through the power of the Spirit, and its light led me to Christ.

“You are the light of the world.” Jesus tells us this (Mt. 5: 14). And in our best and even better moments, we are a light that draws others to Christ. But I believe that most of us have moments when our light, our faith, weakens. Through the power of the Spirit, others are able to share their light and we are “relit.” The LORD is wondrous. And often the LORD uses another to accomplish good in this world.

And we don’t always know when we are with another whose light is dim, fading. Life is like that. We don’t always know when our faith is just what the Spirit is using to help another, to relight another’s faith. It really isn’t us. It really is the LORD at work. But we are the instruments that the LORD uses in those moments.

I have hung the small quote on my wall to remind me that I am called to be a light in this world and to others. And this morning, I say a little prayer that the LORD use my light according to His will and purpose. And I give thanks to my father who years ago relit my light through his faith shared in the Spirit. And I give thanks to a myriad of others along the way who have shared their light with me when my was dimming, fading.

The LORD made us lights. He is “the light of the world” (John 8:12). As His disciples we walk in His footsteps and we are light, in His name, for others. Let us pray to the LORD that our light shines brightly in love of Him because others may be needing to be relit through the Spirit’s use of our light, our faith.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.