Turn the Lights On

Over the winter I was heading out to shop for furniture for the office. I decided to drive a vehicle that I don’t normally drive, but in case I found something to buy I could bring it home with me.

The day was raining and I am a person who when I meet a car without their headlights on in the rain I say, “turn your lights on.”  I realize they can’t hear me, but it helps me to feel better. Turning lights on in the rain or fog is not only for the person driving, but for the other person as well. Cars that are grey or dark will blend into the environment and other drivers can not see them. It can cause an accident.

While I was driving in the rain, I met several cars without their lights on and exclaimed my usual comment. Then I suddenly wondered “Oh no I am I one of the people that I express myself to?” I am used to my car automatically turning on lights when I start the car up that I did not think about how this vehicle was programmed, but assumed they were. Did I even have my headlights on?  

As I looked to see if the lights were on I realized over the past 5 miles they were not. They were not automatic. They needed to be manually turned on. Good grief I was the very person I fuss at.

Even with turning the switch on I did not trust that they were actually on. I stopped the car and got out to face the vehicle to make sure the lights were actually on. Then I could go on about my day, but needed to remember to turn them off when I stopped or I would need to be rescued.

This got me thinking—are there other times where I assume my light is on and it is not?  

When I am in an unfamiliar situation do I check to see if my light is on?

Sometimes we have to face the source, the Light of the World, to make sure our lights are on. When I stood facing the truck and knew for sure my lights were on, I could continue traveling. 

When we stand facing the Light of the World we can continue traveling with assurance that we have His light on in us. Assuming it is automatic can be dangerous for us but also to others. They can’t see us when we blend into a dark and dreary environment. There is nothing that helps us to stand out and we can cause an accident both figuratively and metaphorically.