1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…

In the 1950’s Mamie Eisenhower was living in the White House with her husband, President Dwight Eisenhower. One night her nose was all stopped up and she reached for a jar of Vicks on her bedside table. He writes, “During the night when I woke up, I reached over to put some in my nostrils. Well, it seemed to just get drier, instead of moister, so I kept applying more and more. I didn’t want to wake up Ike, so I didn’t turn on my light. Then in the morning I discovered that I was using INK to cure my cold.” She also discovered that there were black splotches all over her, Ike, the sheets, headboard, and pink dust ruffle!

Has that ever happened to you?

“Light” is used here to describe our understanding and experience of God’s truth. As we apply God’s instructions to our daily interactions with others, we are “walking in the light” in much the way Jesus did 2000 years ago. Jesus put it this way: “…I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me… I always do what pleases him.” John 8:28b, 29b

My walk with God will naturally and positively impact my walk with others.

Are you having a series of problem relationships in your church? Are there members of your church family that you avoid or can’t stand? Are there past hurts in your heart that are keeping you from relating to someone else?

These are the “black splotches” that can result from trying to manage our relationships “in the dark”. Listen – don’t be like Mamie… turn the light on! The remedy for the problem does not lie in rushing to your problem people and trying to fix them. The answer begins first by checking in with the Lord. Let Him speak to you about those problem relationships. Allow Him to guide you in your efforts to repair the damage. Do it when and where and in the manner He directs.

Walk in the light… like Jesus did.