When I was five years old, my parents built a home on a hill overlooking downtown Louisville.  Our new view was magnificent, a rolling hillside and beautiful city lights, a site I still cherish today.

 

One evening, during my pre-teen years, I was standing at the rear of our kitchen table, behind the seat my dad always occupied, staring out our sliding glass door.  It was very dark outside and all I could see were the flickering lights of the city.  I spent a lot of time in that moment thinking about my purpose in life and I was fixated on one very bright city light.  It was as if God was sending me a message and I vividly remember thinking, “If I can do nothing more with my life, I can be a bright light.”

 

In Acts 8:29-31 we learn the Holy Spirit said to Phillip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”  Phillip ran over and heard the man reading from the book of Isaiah.  Phillip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Phillip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

 

My family did not spend endless hours in conversation talking about God, but servanthood and the story of Jesus was certainly sprinkled throughout my daily life.  My parents had five children and our lives were busy.  My dad, a family physician, kept a rigorous schedule between his office hours, hospital visits, and delivering babies during all hours of the night. It was not uncommon for him to take us along on house calls (where we waited in the car) or to after-hours office trips he would make to be with patients in need. On several occasions, our laundry room served as a meeting place for someone who might need a quick stitch or light medical attention. My mom did an outstanding job tending to all our needs, which were many, and she always prepared a wonderful meal so we could gather around our dinner table to be a family in the evening.  That meal always began with our favorite prayer, “God is great, God is good.”  One thing was certain, no matter what the schedule looked like, we were always sitting in church on Sunday morning which is where I soaked in my love of music, the message, and learned very early in life that Jesus loves me.  When we were old enough to begin caring for ourselves, my mom went on to obtain her BSN in nursing school. My parents always displayed true servant hearts, caring, giving, teaching, and sharing all that they knew, a perfect vision of being Christ like.

 

The man in our scripture was an Ethiopian eunuch and he wasn’t clear about what he was reading.  Phillip, upon invitation and without hesitation, willingly climbed into the carriage and shared the Good News about Jesus.  As their conversation continued, they came upon some water.  Once there, Phillip baptized the man and he had now been fully touched by living water.

How will they know if we don’t tell them?  I often think back to the mission I received while looking out that sliding door. Be kind, be generous, listen, and share the Good News!  We can all be the light.