Firefly Faith

I saw a light winking

Steady in the night,

On and off pulsing,

A luminescent white.

Wonder drew me over;

I wanted to inspect.

The light seemed to hover

Near the doorway to my deck.

The closer I approached,

A scene snatched my breath!

The tiny throbbing torch

Caught in a web of death!

In a sticky spider’s weave

Struggled a blinking firefly.

The spider gave her no reprieve;

It seemed she would surely die!

The firefly’s light stayed true and sure

As the spider stitched up the thread.

An evil fate awaited her;

I gave up and went to bed.

At dawn the next morn

The web had been torn!

The valiant light

Had put up a fight!

In a battle of foes

The threads had been tattered.

From ruined neat rows

The spiders had scattered.

All that remained 

Was a hole in the weaving.

What once had been chained

Was no longer grieving.

The firefly broke free

And made her escape,

She hid in a tree

‘Neath a leafy green drape.

And that very evening

She fired up her torch

Dancing and flashing

Beside my front porch!

Still later, at dusk,

When shadows crept in,

Light took the risk;

Darkness wouldn’t win!

Although she was small

Her blinking light mattered.

By fulfilling her call,

Dark forces scattered.

Devotional Reflections: One Small Light

Sometimes I feel like the little firefly valiantly clinging to life and persisting in blinking her light even while caught in a spiderweb. The many distractions in daily life are like loose threads that become tangled and sticky, pulling me this way and that way until I am immobilized by a mental shutdown. It can be a struggle to find the energy, time, and space to keep shining the light of God’s goodness and love while tangled in a world of hurry and distraction.

Have you ever noticed that right when you sense the Spirit’s nudge to do something that will bring kingdom light to someone, almost immediately something pulls away your attention, uses up your mental bandwidth and saps your energy? After dealing with the issue, you are depleted and discouraged. Obeying the Spirit’s nudge now feels like a chore rather than the joy you felt when the inspiration first came. I believe this is spiritual warfare. Scripture tells us that our struggle is against spiritual forces of evil - forces that don’t want to give up any ground, forces that fight to keep the prevailing darkness. These dark weapons operate to prevent any pinprick of kingdom light from bringing hope.

And that is precisely why we must not give up! We must be like the little firefly who, even when caught in a sticky web kept steadily blinking her light, and, against all odds, broke free from her entanglement, and went on to bring light and joy in her corner of the world. When it seems that your one small gesture of kindness means nothing, stay strong! Have faith that God can take the little ways you give love and encouragement to others and work through them to defeat the “powers of this dark world” (Ephesians 6:12). Trust God with your one small light. Remember that in the darkness it is the pinprick of light that draws the eye, giving a frame of reference for the struggling person to find their bearings. In the dark, others will walk toward the light. Refuse to believe that your one little light is insignificant or not enough to make an impact. God will magnify the smallest light-bringing efforts to dispel the darkness!

 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light - Ephesians 5:8

Questions for Introspection:

Do you know someone who is feeling down and lonely?

What about someone who is in a confusing or overly busy season of life?

Do you know someone who is widowed or in the foster care system?

What about a mother of small children who is doing her best?

A teenager struggling with self-worth and lack of direction?

A friend who is chronically ill?

Someone fighting a battle with an addiction of any kind?

A middle-aged friend needing a sense of purpose?

These are just a few prompts.

Sit quietly, asking God to bring someone to mind and prompt you with an act of kindness that will speak to their need. Wait for the nudge. Now go do it.

Bring a little shaft of light into another person's life today!

"Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." ~1 John 2:10-11

By Heather J. Willis, author