Self-Lighting Candle?

Let’s take a second look at the passage considered in the previous article, going a couple more verses further this time.

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

2 Timothy 1:8-10 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2ti.1.8-10.NIV

This gospel (God’s plan that He had before He created time, but which humankind learned more about when Jesus suffered with ultimate suffering) is what we have been enlightened to understand, and now – like the children’s song says – it’s time for us to let our little light shine.

So, what will you do? What will I do? Will we let our little light shine, or will we hide it under a bushel? In the song, kids pretend that their light is a candle and sing, “Hide it under a bushel? No!”

Fair warning, though: if the candle tries to somehow “make its own light” in its own way, without doing so in the way that it was created to produce light, it will fail. If an unlit candle – wax and a wick – concentrates with all its might and tries to be bright, it might stress out, but it won’t be producing any light by itself.

Instead, the candle – our “little light” – can only produce light when it does what it was created for: letting its wick be lit with fire (from somewhere else), and allowing its wax to burn and to provide light for others. During candlelight Christmas Eve services with the congregation where I attend, that “little light” can even light other “little lights”, just as we help other people hear and apply the same gospel that changed our hearts.

Now, I don’t know if it “hurts” a wick to be burned, but we might say that we – as little candles – can suffer as we produce light: We don’t always get what we want. We don’t get to be in charge when we want to do our own thing. We might experience pain – physically, emotionally, and otherwise. And, when we’re done, there might not be much left of our physical bodies than a metaphorical burned-out wick and a few bits of leftover wax.

However, when we’ve used up a lifetime of opportunity for God, we will have ideally shone our light and lit other candles who – in turn – let their light shine and keep passing it along. We will have done exactly what we were created for, having honored God as we celebrated that we will all spend eternity in new bodies that glorify God – the author of our light – and will never suffer again. (Considering that eventual goal, commentator Moss translates “immortality” as “incorruptibility”. A new and better life awaits us, in contrast to this sinful world.)

As I was writing this, a rendition of the old hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven” was playing on my “smart speaker”. I suspect that this was more God’s work than any algorithm, but let’s reflect on shining our little light here on this earth (even if we suffer while doing so) while pondering the great message of that hymn’s chorus:

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

[When We All Get to Heaven > Lyrics | Eliza E. Hewitt / When We All Get to Heaven | Hymnary.org]

Don’t be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Be bold and courageous. But, don’t try to do it on your own: that’s just nonsense, like a candle trying to light its own wick.

From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 16, 2025

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