THE F L I C K E R I N G CANDLE
As I watched the candle trio, I noticed two of them were burning steadily, but the third was flickering high then low, sending up a thin stream of smoke as it danced around. Occasionally it would settle down for a bit, but then it would go back to tango-ing. Meanwhile, my attention was drawn to the nearby wall—on it, I could see that warm glowing colors of candlelight were being punctuated by staccato bursts of light. A metaphor came to mind….
The two smoothly burning candles are like the saints who stand beside the Lord. But that pesky third candle that flickers, crackles, and leaves a smoky trail—well, that‘s like you and me. Our flames flicker for all kinds of reasons. Maybe it‘s the environment around us—the “winds“ of suffering, illness, or temptations can put us off our stride, leaving our flames somewhat unstable. Or maybe it is our selves which are causing the crackling and smoke—you know, the faults and impurities of heart and mind which are being burned away as we move on toward The Goal.
And as I looked at that nearby wall, I realized that it was EXACTLY that flickering light which had drawn my attention. In our Christian walk, there are going to be times when spiritual life is a real struggle, and if we‘re open and honest with others about this—but especially about how the Lord brings us through them–well, people will see that something is different about us…. And hopefully, they‘ll be drawn to seek the Lord as we do—because they want what we have!
The moral of the story is: keep your candle burning!
What on EARTH is she thinking now?! 