Daily Devotional for June 15, 2018
The Broken Lightbulb
“James, can you hold the door open for me?” Dad called. But James and Abby were too busy fighting over which video game to play to hear him. “James!” Dad called again. “Please hold the door open so I can bring the ladder in.”
“Why do I always have to help you? Why can’t Abby? She never has to help.”
“I didn’t ask your sister. I asked you,” Dad said firmly.
James sighed but got up and held the door. As Dad set up the ladder and climbed the metal rungs, Abby and James started fighting again.
“Abby! James!” Dad called down. “What is this?” He held up the burned-out lightbulb he’d unscrewed from the light fixture.
James shrugged, and Abby rolled her eyes. “It’s a dead lightbulb,” she answered, glaring at her brother. “Duh!”
James pulled back his arm like he was going to hit his sister.
“Abby! That’s enough. James, don’t touch your sister. Yes, a broken bulb. What do you hear?” Dad descended the ladder and shook the bulb.
“Broken pieces rattling around,” James said, still scowling.
Dad looked at James and Abby. “When we complain and argue, we have broken pieces clanging around inside us too. Our purpose is to live lives that shine for Jesus and show others who He is. But complaining and arguing get in the way of us trusting Him in every situation and sharing His love with others.”
Abby and James were silent and looked down.
“Abby, hand me that new bulb, please,” Dad said. Abby handed him the new bulb without saying a word. Dad started back up the ladder.
“Dad?” James asked. “If we’re like broken bulbs, does that mean we can never shine again?”
Dad started twisting in the new bulb. “The good news, James, is that Jesus always makes us shine, even though we sin. And when we do something wrong that makes us rattle and clang, we can ask Him to forgive us and start doing things His way by being thankful and loving. He fixes our broken pieces, and we become like new.”
Dad came back down the ladder and flipped the switch on the wall. The new bulb shone brightly and lit the whole room. – Pearl Allard
How about you?
Do you argue with your brothers and sisters? Do you complain when a parent or teacher asks you to do something? Complaining and arguing expose sin in our hearts and keep us from showing Jesus’ love to others. If those things have been clanging around your life lately, ask Jesus to forgive you and replace them with thankfulness and love. Then shine for Him!
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