The Light of the World
Written by Kara Mockos
In a world dominated by social media, Christians are under a microscope like never before. We’ve put ourselves out there to be criticized by others and looked at with scrutiny, but on the other hand, this could be the greatest opportunity to show Christ’s love.
Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Instead of the light, I read once that we are reflectors of the light. God is the light, but the light of God is actually the Holy Spirit living within us shining through us. When we are living in step with the Holy Spirit, we emulate the same aspects of the Holy Spirit. When others hear us speak, witness how we behave, and watch how we treat others, the light of the Holy Spirit shines through.
I’ve been struggling lately with the negativity I see online. I remember a time when the world of “social media” was not even referred to by that term, I’m not sure it even existed. There was MySpace and then there was Facebook—online websites where you uploaded pictures—that took 4 hours to load, if they successfully loaded at all—and wrote on your friends’ timelines. You used to have to write a “status” that started with your name and “is feeling, is watching, is doing, etc.,” and you’d have to fill in the rest of the sentence. What a glorious time! You were only connected to the people you actually knew in real life, and there was very little, if any, negativity.
Flash forward about twenty years and the online platforms are filled with creepy ads that seem to track everything we’ve ever even glanced at on the internet. “News” articles are re-posted by friends from people or sites we’ve never even heard of. Articles that support their personal agendas and often spark heated debates.
We could look at this new online reality negatively (and who could blame us?), or we could choose to see it as an opportunity to shine our light; to reflect God’s light and the Holy Spirit in our words and actions.
One of the ways I’ve applied shining God’s light is simply not giving into the darkness. What does that look like practically? It’s hard these days to feel confident that anything I’m doing is right or that there’s not more I am supposed to be doing. This doesn’t just apply to social media of course! I pray everyday for God to help me, honestly, just help me! Help me be a good mom, a good wife, a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend, a good human! But regarding social media, who knows exactly what the right thing to do is. Maybe I’m supposed to delete my social media accounts, it’s all garbage anyway. Frankly, it seems like the 2020 version of Sodom and Gomorrah. But I can’t help but think—maybe there’s a reason it’s here and hasn’t faded away completely. Now, I’m not saying I want to be responsible for some trending hashtag spreading love and kindness on the internet; at least, that’s not my goal. I just want to do my part, to do good in the midst of the darkness.
Practically speaking, I’ve tried to return to my social media roots in 2020; keep in contact with my friends and family who live far away, disconnect from the people I never really knew to begin with. I avoid engaging in debates about friends’ and family members’ political and/or social views. These are the ways I’ve tried to apply being a reflective light; by not giving in to the darkness.
Beyond not being part of the problem, how can I, as a Christian woman, shine my light for others? In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he tells us what the fruits of the Spirit are. These attributes should show in our lives if we are walking with the Spirit. In other words, while we are living in step with the Holy Spirit, we should be emulating these things.
Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.”
These are traits to aspire to in our daily lives—if we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, then we will project these things to others and that is us reflecting our light for others to see. We’ve been given an opportunity with social media, to share our light on a large scale—and often with people we’ve never even met. To create, to inspire, to lead, and to share these fruits with others. When I think about my role—what I’m supposed to do or say (if anything at all)—in these uncertain and tumultuous times, I can only pray that He opens my heart and clears my mind so that I may hear Him. In the Dive: Mark study, I recently read these words of Jesus: “‘You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit’” (Mark 13:9-11). When I’m listening to Him, I can trust that He will guide my words.
Now, more than ever before, it is imperative that as Christians we shine our light before men. By His Spirit alone we can help bring love, joy, and peace to others. The opportunity is there; my hope is that we can find a way to come together as Christians and shine our lights together. We were intended to do this together. Collectively we will create a light far brighter any one one person was intended to shine alone.
Kara Mockos
University Place, Washington
Kara Mockos lives in Washington state with her husband and her two daughters and is a native of the Pacific Northwest. She spends as many days as she can hiking in the Olympics and North Cascades and enjoys snow shoeing and cross country skiing in the colder months. She sees herself as a newborn Christian even though she grew up in the Church. Everyday she gets older she discovers new gems in her exploration of the Bible and is loving every new discovery and how it can be applied to her life as a wife and mother!
You can find Kara on Instagram @kmmockos
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Hello again, Dive Collective! It has been so long since we’ve seen you, studied with you, sent you any news. So much has happened since we decided to take a break, and we will be telling you a lot about that in an upcoming podcast episode!