The Broken Lightbulb

Read: Philippians 2:12-18

“David, can you hold the door open for me?” Dad called. But David and Abby were too busy fighting over which video game to play to hear him. “David!” Dad called again.

“Yeah?” David looked up, startled.

“Please hold the door open so I can bring the ladder inside. I need to change a lightbulb.”

“Why do I always have to help you? Why can’t Abby do it? She never has to help.”

“I didn’t ask your sister. I asked you,” Dad said firmly.

David sighed but got up and held the door. As Dad set up the ladder and climbed the metal rungs, Abby and David started fighting again.

“Abby! David!” Dad called down. “What is this?” He held up the burned-out lightbulb he’d unscrewed from the light fixture.

David shrugged, and Abby rolled her eyes. “It’s a dead lightbulb,” she answered, glaring at her brother. “Duh!” David pulled back his arm like he was thinking of hitting his sister.

“Abby! That’s enough. David, 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,” David said, still scowling.

Dad nodded. “When we complain and argue, we’re like this broken light bulb. It has broken pieces clanging around and is no longer serving its purpose. Complaining and arguing make a clanging noise too. They show there is brokenness—sin—in our hearts. Our purpose as people saved by Jesus is to let the light of His love shine through us. But complaining and arguing show that we’re focused on ourselves instead of trusting Him and loving others.”

Abby and David were silent and looked down.

“Abby, hand me that new bulb, please,” Dad said. Abby quietly handed him the new bulb. Dad started back up the ladder.

“Dad?” David 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, David, 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. 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. If those things have been clanging around your life lately, ask Jesus to forgive you and replace them with thankfulness and love. Then live out the purpose He’s given you and shine for Him!

Today’s key verse: Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you will be blameless and pure…[as] you shine like lights in a dark world. Philippians 2:14-15 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: Don’t complain or argue