A Single Flickering Light

Last week, I led a small team of staff and M25M representatives to Nicaragua. On the way there, our plane out of Cincinnati was delayed, which caused us to miss our connecting flight in Miami. We ended up having to wait 8 hours for the next flight to Nicaragua.

I was frustrated for a couple of reasons. First of all, we were going to lose a half day in Nicaragua, leaving us with less time to get our work accomplished. Second of all, I would not be able to spend as much time in the country that inspired my father to start Matthew 25: Ministries, which has become a second home to me. It had been over 10 year’s since I had been back, so I was excited to return, even for this brief trip. The delay was extremely frustrating and maddening.

When we finally departed for Managua, it was late in the evening and getting dark. On our final decent to land in Nicaragua, I could see thousands of lights from my plane window, but I became fixated on a single flickering light located away from the others. Maybe this light was a fire used by a village to cook, or perhaps it was the only light available in a small village. Whatever it was, I stared even more intently. The more I stared, the more all of my earlier frustrations went away.

That single flickering light reminded me that I was coming to Nicaragua as a single light myself, and that my light would hopefully touch others and give hope. Then they, too, would become lights. Instead of just my one light, there would be thousands.

God has a funny way of showing us the important things in life. My earlier frustrations were nothing; I was there for a much greater purpose. While spreading hope is important, we can’t forget about that one single flickering light. Before there can be thousands, there has to be one.

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