“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14). I am sure that many of us have wondered if we would not be much more effective lights if we had less resistance and opposition in our lives. If we could be purer conductors of God’s power, then surely our light would shine brighter and the world would be a better place. We would, of course, be wrong. A wire conducting electricity perfectly, with no resistance, would be completely invisible in the dark. A perfect conductor does not allow any electrons to escape as warmth or light. It is only when a wire has a lot of resistance and heat that it begins to glow and let its light shine. If we want to be the light of the world, then resistance is not getting in the way. The resistance is vital. It is the power and goodness of God overcoming the natural resistance within that makes the light shine. God did not make us into imperfect conductors of His power because He was bad at His job but because that is the only way that we could let our light shine. Next time that we are facing a lot of resistance in our life, I hope that we can remember the humble lightbulb filament and how it shines so bright not in spite of but because of its resistance.
