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May 20, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n A Light That Cannot Be Hidden<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.\u201d Matthew 5:16 (NRSVUE)<\/em><\/p>\n My favorite memory of the song \u201cThis Little Light of Mine\u201d comes from the darkroom at my dad\u2019s photography studio. I loved \u201chelping\u201d him develop the film as a child, but the darkness made me uneasy. So we would sing together: \u201cYou Are My Sunshine,\u201d \u201cItsy Bitsy Spider,\u201d and of course \u201cThis Little Light of Mine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHide it under a bushel?\u201d Like most kids, my favorite part of the song was yelling, \u201cNo!\u201d It was loud, defiant, and bold \u2014 which felt slightly rebellious for a church song but safe and empowering when I sang it beside my dad in the dark.<\/p>\n Years later, Jesus\u2019 words in Matthew 5:14-16 feel like the grown-up version of that song:<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven\u201d<\/em> (NRSVUE).<\/p>\n Not \u201cyou might be a light.\u201d Jesus speaks of light not as something we manufacture through effort or perfection but as an identity placed within us by God Himself. The instruction is not for us to create light but to let it shine.<\/p>\n And yet \u2026 hiding often feels safer.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think most of us cover our light because we\u2019re outright ashamed to follow Jesus. More often we do it quietly and unintentionally \u2014 when speaking up feels risky, when compassion feels costly, when standing apart feels lonely, when obedience feels inconvenient.<\/p>\n We dim to keep the peace or to keep from rocking the boat. But Jesus\u2019 imagery leaves little room for concealed discipleship: \u201cA city built on a hill cannot be hid\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 5:14b, NRSVUE). That kind of shining is not always comfortable. It exposes injustice, disrupts apathy, invites attention, and requires courage.<\/p>\n It\u2019s much easier for children to shout \u201cno\u201d than it is for adults to resist the urge to protect ourselves by dimming what God has placed inside us. I have felt that pull myself \u2014 the temptation to stay quiet, small, and safe.<\/p>\n But the command still stands:\u00a0\u201cLet your light shine \u2026\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 5:16).<\/p>\n Not so people will admire you. Lord, my light is not fragile or accidental. It\u2019s a gift meant to bring hope into dark places. May I steward it faithfully. Give me the courage not to dim myself for my own comfort or others’. Help me to love boldly, speak truth compassionately, and live faithfully even when it\u2019s costly. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever wrestled with hard questions, seasons of doubt, or the tension between faith and real life, Kendall Mariah\u2019s book, This Little Fire of Mine,<\/em> offers an honest and hope-filled exploration of resilient faith. With raw storytelling and biblical reflection, it invites readers to bring their whole selves to God \u2014 questions, struggles, and all. You can learn more or grab a copy here: This Little Fire of Mine: How Flickers of Doubt Can Spark a Bolder, Brighter Faith<\/em>.<\/p>\n Connect with Kendall on her website!<\/p>\n Enter to WIN your very own copy of This Little Fire of Mine\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by Kendall Mariah. To celebrate this book, Kendall\u2019s publisher will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by filling out the form here. {We\u2019ll randomly select 5 winners and notify them via email by Tuesday, May 26, 2026.}<\/p>\n Ephesians 5:8, \u201cfor once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light \u2026\u201d (NRSVUE).<\/p>\n Where do you feel most tempted to shrink back or stay silent, and what would courageous faith look like in that area of your life this week?<\/p>\n What is one simple way you can shine hope, kindness, or truth into a difficult space around you today? Share with us in the comments!<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Kendall Mariah. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries May 20, 2026 A Light That Cannot Be HiddenKENDALL MARIAH Lee en espa\u00f1ol \u201cIn the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.\u201d Matthew 5:16 (NRSVUE) My favorite memory of the song \u201cThis Little Light of Mine\u201d comes from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[86,269,268,2393,709,270,181],"class_list":{"0":"post-28838","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-devotionals","8":"tag-daily","9":"tag-devotional","10":"tag-encouragement","11":"tag-hidden","12":"tag-light","13":"tag-proverbs","14":"tag-today"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
KENDALL MARIAH <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNo! I\u2019m gonna let it shine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not \u201cyou need to try to be a light.\u201d
\u201cYou are the light of the world.”<\/em><\/p>\n
We shrink to avoid criticism.
We tuck our faith into private spaces where it won\u2019t disrupt anything.<\/p>\n
Not so you can prove something.
But so others can see your faith lived out and glorify your Father in heaven.<\/p>\nOUR FAVORITE THINGS<\/h4>\n
ENGAGE<\/h4>\n
FOR DEEPER STUDY<\/h4>\n
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"