OBJECT: An Old-fashioned Candlestick with a Small
Candle in It
Some years ago an old friend of mine put into my hands an ancient candlestick containing a short stump of a candle. It was an old homestead relic. The good lady had used it in her childhood, and her mother had used it in her early days also. It was at least seventy-five years old, and had not been lighted for more than fifty years. It had been stowed away in the old garret and forgotten, until one day it was taken with other common things from its dusty hiding-place, and fell into my hands. At once I lit the stump of candle, and it sent forth its golden light again just as it did fifty years ago. It seemed to say to me, "I will always shine whenever I get the chance." I do not say, as some of you humans of the day, "If you had no better place for me than a dark corner in a garret, if you have forgotten me, and failed to recognize my place in the world, I won't shine for you now." No. "But I will shine for you or anybody that will put the taper to my heart. It is my business to shine. I cannot do anything else."
I have often seen folks unlike this old candle. If they cannot be first in the work they won't help at all. If somebody else is asked to take part, and they are not, they sulk about it, refuse to join in and work. If they are asked to do something that some other person has been asked to do, and refused, they say: "Play second fiddle! I guess not!" The New Testament tells us of a proud man who loved to have the prominent place among them. This is not a Christian spirit. Jesus said, "If any man will be great among you, let him be your servant." Brighten your corner as a business. This is the business of the Christian—to shine. The candle can do nothing more than this. It shines just as it is. It never tries to be an electric light, or to do the work of electricity, but is content to do its own work, and that is the work of a candle, just to shine as a business. The electric light gives ten, fifteen, forty candle-power light. The electric power turns washing machines, runs vacuum cleaners, heats irons, and does all sorts of things at the touch of its finger of power. All the candle can do is to give its small-power light. But notice how cheerful it is in the midst of darkness. It knows it cannot do the task of electricity, so it does not fret itself about it, but just shines and does its best to brighten the little dark corner; that is its business— just to shine. Watch it shine, and you will notice it puts its whole life into the business of shining. Measure it as it shines, and you will discover it grows less and less, and leaves nothing behind it—gives itself, and all of itself into the business of shining. It consumes itself in the process of shining, This is a true light picture of the Christian. Real service requires the giving of the entire self. David Livingstone, the heart of Africa missionary, gave all that he had and consumed all his energies for the good of the Dark Continent. He just let his light shine out until his body burned out, and when
A Meeting of Children in the East Baptist Church, Philadelphia (Where the Author is Pastor),
Giving Attention to Object-lessons Described in This Book
the natives found him dead kneeling by his bed, they found an old worn-out body burnt out in the business of shining in Africa's dark corner. But his light still shines. The natives as they sit by their evening fire talk in soft tones about the great White Chief. They are watching that White Candle Chief burn in the jungles of their wild land. He being dead yet shineth.
That is the way to shine forever. Burn out here, and you will shine forever in God's kingdom. So we learn that we are not only letting our light shine as a business, but in so doing we light the dark corner lights around the world. This candle I now hold in my hand can light a thousand other candles, and they in turn another thousand, and so on until it could light shining candles girdling the round world. Light is contagious. It easily passes from one candle to another.
One courageous enthusiastic person can fire many others to shine in their dark corners also. If every one of my audience held an unlighted candle in their hands, this one lighted candle would carry the flame to all the candles. This room would be transfigured into a congress of flickering stars. This is the way the kingdom of heaven must come in. One life touches the other life, and they all shine in their corner as their business, which is the King's business also.
But learn the first great essential lesson. This candle, to shine forth in the dark corner as a business, must first be lit itself. It cannot light itself. It cannot say, "Let there be light," for no light can shine forth by a self-command. Some power greater than a candle must touch our dark heart with its taper of flame before we can shine forth. So we must come to the great Light of the World and give ourselves to him, and become his disciples, and he will give us the light which shines in our hearts, and out from our own lives. Then we become "Candles of the Lord," and brighten the corner where we are as a business.
In using this lesson suit your actions to your words. Secure if possible an old-fashioned candlestick with a stump of a candle in it, and say, "This resembles the old candlestick mentioned in the lesson." You can use an ordinary candle for other parts of the lesson referred to in the chapter.