“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

Why am I here today?  Jesus indicates that I am to be some sort of flavor or illumination purposefully and perfectly placed.  At least that is how I typically use salt and how Traci uses candles.

Candles are a source of tension in our home.  I will be honest, I don’t like candles.  I find them expensive, messy, and smelly.  But for Traci, even though Thomas Edison helped us out years ago with cheap light, a candle – one perfectly placed candle – can make the room.  For her, a candle’s fragrance can mask a smelly dog, burnt popcorn, or various unwanted boy smells.  Its flicker can turn an old bathroom into a relaxing spa or a disorganized dining room into a romantic escape.  Even the streams of melted wax running down a mantle (that I painfully paid for) can bring a little artistry to an otherwise boring decorum.

Expensive or not, we buy them.  We place them purposefully.  We light them.  We watch them melt.  I can think of more efficient light than candles.  But, just like Traci, God loves candles.  His candles are way more expensive, a lot more smelly, and way more effective.  His candles are his chosen ones, you and me.

He places us in dark corners, messy rooms, smelly environments.  Not hidden – but high on mantles to illuminate.  Maybe illuminate is the wrong word.  I think too often in Christian circles when we think illuminate – we think argue, we think reveal, we think expose.  Yet, when God illuminates, He reveals beauty.  God lights candles to reveal what CAN be.  God illuminates to flicker waves of grace.

And that’s exactly what He is doing today.  That is the reason I am here.

So today – let God bring a little taste of heaven to a very drab world.  Take a few extra minutes with a co-worker.  Walk a mile with a friend.  Listen a little.  And let the wax drip – God has perfectly picked you for melting!