A few years ago, my fiancée (now my wife) and I were hanging out with some friends at a birthday party. After a few hours of games and visiting and food, we decided we would all take a ride down to the beach.
We got there just as nightfall was setting in and decided we would build a fire. We found some kindling and got a flame going then fed it with additional wood. We all found some logs and stumps and driftwood to sit on. We sat around the fire for a couple more hours talking, visiting, and having fun.
It was eventually apparent that sleep was starting to set down on some of us, so we decided to set for home. We found a container and drew water from the Pacific Ocean to put out the fire.
The moon was full and the night was clear, so our way was lit fairly well, considering it was night.
We were only a few strides from the firepit, when one of our friends announced that he had lost his ring. His mother died a few years previous, and his dad had given him his own wedding ring as a reminder of his mum.
There were about a dozen of us and we searched for this priceless treasure of our friend as best we could in the dark. We knew it was somewhere around us, but we could not find it. At least half an hour had gone by.
Then someone suggested we pray. We should pray for divine intervention to help us find this precious ring. That we did.
Within seconds, the ring was found. It had reflected the moonlight and the sparkle caught someone’s eye. The ring was found!
Life can be like that.
There are times in our lives where we find ourselves playing, laughing, being jovial, without a care in the world. We find ourselves drawn into a world led by a false light. A man made light.
Then soon, this light goes out and we are left in darkness. Others around us lead us as best they can and offer a dim light. And we follow them for a time.
But soon enough, we recognise that amidst all this darkness, there is a treasure somewhere. We search diligently. Scrounging all around us, searching for this priceless gift.
And then. And then we think to pray for guidance. Pray to help be led to this treasure. God cares for us and wants us to have this gift. And not much later, we see some light. The Light of Christ enters into our eyes, our minds, our hearts, and then we rejoice.
Over time, a ring can become tarnished and worn, more particularly if care is not given to it. So, too, must we cultivate, care for, and feed our testimony of Christ. We must continue our study of Him and His life. We must share these within the lives of others. We must live these within our own.
