John 1:6-9

“He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light but he came to testify about the light.”
John 1:7-8

As I thought about this text I was reminded of how the Light came to me. God has brought men into my life that witnessed to me through their actions and their character different aspects of the Light. My own dad, John, shows me what a father should be like. As a youth,  Monty Parks, a  single guy who was a Bible Camp Leader when I was a child displayed the love of Jesus to me. He was super accepting, welcoming and interested in my life. Pastor Leslie Armstrong, in my Middle School years, was a grand-father in the Lord to me as I did not have a Christian grandfather. I could tell he really cared for me and loved me. As I grew into manhood, my father-in-law Don gave me a sense of calling and direction for my life in the kingdom and welcomed me into his family. And of course, Pastor Rob Miner when I was a young professional in the business world taught me the importance of intercessory prayer.

These men were not the Light but they came to testify about the Light - to me. They were sent by God. I don’t think they would have had a sense of “calling” to engage in my life—so much as just being who they were as men around me. That does not mean that they did not see me as an individual in need of the Light, but just who they were gave me light.

So this love and light from these men in my life gives me hope that God really loves me. And it gives me hope that as I live my life God is still bringing light into the world through me.