Offering Your Light

I met with a ministry leader recently for spiritual direction. After some months of learning about their relationship with God, she quietly confessed, "I think I’ve gotten used to hiding."

There was no glaring sin. No moral failure. Just a confession that she had become lost to herself and maybe even by God."

In her life there was a slow, almost imperceivable slide into self-protection. A subtle belief that staying hidden might be safer than being known.

It struck me how often that happens. Not in rebellion, but in restraint. We start filtering what we bring to God. We start holding back the little bits of insight or desire or faith we’ve been given. We think we’re being wise or mature, but Jesus sees it differently.

"Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear."Mark 4:21–23

This is not always a warning about being caught. It is a call to bring into the light what has already been given. If you’ve received any light at all from God, it is not meant to be stored. It is meant to shine.

The Restraint that Looks Like Humility

There are many of us who are not resisting God outright. We are just quietly withholding. We assume our experiences with God are too small, too uncertain, or too unfinished to be useful. So we sit on them. We keep them to ourselves. We wait until we feel more confident or more articulate. But Jesus is not asking for polish. He is simply saying, put the lamp on the stand.

Even if the light feels weak, it is light. Even if your story is messy, it is still worth telling. Even if you only have a glimpse of clarity, it might be exactly what someone else needs.

The Measure You Use

Jesus continues:

"Consider carefully what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more."Mark 4:24

Jesus is not just asking us to listen. He is asking us to respond. The attention and openness we bring to his voice will shape what we receive next. If we receive his word with care and risk sharing it, he gives more. But if we keep waiting for more without using what we’ve been given, we end up with less.

In direction, I have seen this play out over and over. The people who grow in awareness of God’s presence are not the ones with the most dramatic experiences. They are the ones who keep naming what they hear. However small. However shaky. They take the next step. And over time, the light grows brighter as they bear witness to what is true.

Jesus says,

"Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."Mark 4:25

This is not about punishment. It is about how the kingdom works. Spiritual life multiplies when it is released. It fades when it is hidden. The light grows stronger when it is put on the stand.

If you are longing for more clarity or closeness with God, try asking not only what you want from him, but what you’ve already been given. And then ask whether you’ve put that on the stand or hidden it away.

A Simple Practice

Ask yourself this week:

What light has God already given me?

It could be a phrase from Scripture, a quiet moment of prayer, a conversation that stirred something, or a conviction you cannot shake.

Then ask:

Have I brought this into the open?

Try sharing it with someone. Write it down. Speak it out loud in prayer. Put it into action in some small way. Just do not bury it.

Final Word

Jesus is not asking you to be impressive. He is inviting you to be faithful. You do not need more light before you can respond. You only need to stop hiding the light you have. Whatever God has given you, bring it into the open.

Put it on the stand. What happens if you allow yourself to risk for the Kingdom of God?