Special Candles

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:14-16; Romans 8:35-39

Naomi could hardly sit still as she waited, eyes closed, for Mom to bring in her birthday cake. Even with her eyes shut, she could tell that the overhead light had been turned out. “Okay, sweetie! Open your eyes!” said Dad at last. Naomi blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light created by the glowing candles on top of a beautiful birthday cake.

“Okay, make a wish and blow the candles out,” said her brother, Colby. “And you gotta get ’em all out or you don’t get your wish, you know.”

Naomi nodded and closed her eyes again, but she knew getting a wish didn’t really have anything to do with whether or not candles were burning. I wish…uh…I wish every day would be as happy as this one. She opened her eyes, blew out the candles, and reached for the cake knife. “Oops!” she said when every candle started burning again. “I thought I blew them out, but they all started back up!”

Dad tried not to laugh. “Better blow them out again, Naomi.”

“I’ll blow harder this time.” Naomi took a deep breath and blew extra hard. Once again all the candles went out, but one by one they sparked and soon were burning again. Naomi was speechless.

Colby burst into laughter. “Gotcha, Naomi! We put special candles on your cake! No matter how hard you try to blow the light out, it will always come back!”

“Cool!” Naomi exclaimed. Then she jokingly glared at him. “But I better still get my wish even if the candles didn’t stay out!”

Naomi, Colby, and Dad all tried to blow the candles out a few more times and laughed as the lights kept coming back.

“While you’re all just having fun,” said Mom with a smile, “I’m thinking of a lesson those candles can teach us. They’re sort of like the light that glows within us when we know Jesus as our Savior.”

“So are we special candles for God?” Naomi asked.

“Something like that,” said Mom. “No matter how hard Satan tries to blow out our lights, Jesus never lets him succeed. As He teaches us to trust in Him and show others His love, we shine brightly for Him.” Myra J. Luetje

How About You?

Do you trust Jesus as your Savior? If so, He is making you shine like a light. You’re like a special candle that shares His light with others. You do this by telling people about Him and showing them His love through your words and actions. Satan would like to put your light out, but he can’t. Jesus won’t let anything separate you from Him. Let your light shine brightly for Jesus!

Today’s Key Verse:
Philippians 2:15 Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Shine for Jesus