¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. ¹⁷ For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.

¹⁸ “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

Luke 8:16-18

Dear God, this is another parable/metaphor from Jesus that gets removed from its context when we read it. It’s easy to forget that it is linked to the parable of the Sower. So the way I read this in that context is that the person who puts the lap on the stand is the same as the one who liberally spreads seeds on the ground. She or he puts it out there for everyone to see.

Verse 17 is interesting. Secrets are so debilitating, especially if they carry shame with them. They can bog us down and just be a cloud that follows us. And that inhibits our ability to put our lamp on a stand. How can we proudly show the world our lives in you when we are hiding pieces of ourselves in shame?

I was talking with a relative who has been going through a trial about how you can take the pain they’ve been through and use it to bless others. You have given them a ministry now they’d have never had before. But they would never have that ministry if they were ashamed of the trial they’ve been through and just kept it a secret. No, even our weaknesss are important to share with others.

Father, help me to listen to Jesus’s teaching. Help me to understand. Help me to humbly share my life with others for their benefit and your glory. Help me to love my neighbor through my own humility. Help me to see beyond the surface of what people display, and see them with your eyes. I give you all praise, glory, and honor, Jesus, for what you have done for me.

I pray this in the name of Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen