A summer or two ago we bought a beautifully crafted 3-foot by 2.5-foot wooden American Flag. Deciding where to put it was a no-brainer for us. We have a shed with two windows that face the street. The windows give it the appearance of a tiny house.
Even more so when we centered the flag between them and planted sunflowers amidst wildflowers to give it a homey look. My son-in-law decided it needed a light shining on it in the dark. He secretly bought a solar one, crawled up to the shed (so our dog would not bark if he saw him) and strategically placed it to light up the flag at night. What a sweet surprise it was! Especially on breezy nights when the flower’s shadows dance silhouetted by his thoughtful gift onto the flag.

It is one of my favorite views on my nightly stroll with my dog. Tonight, it was not illuminated. The day was overcast with little to no direct sunlight. As I was staring at it, I told Oliver (my dog, who happens to be a good listener when I ramble on about things) that it was to be expected since the sun was so scarce today.

Then it struck me, aren’t we a bit like solar lights? If we don’t make time for the Son (Christ) in our lives daily, we won’t be able to reflect Him. If my day is so filled with…? (I’m not sure I’d like to admit some of my useless time wasters.) And if I only take a few minutes to pray as I’m falling asleep it is as a cloudy day is to solar power. When I have not made time for my Lord, how can I expect to be a light to others? The solar lights shine brightest with constant, unobstructed sun. We too shine brightest in this dark world when we have focused unobstructed time with the Son, Jesus.