Is Your Love Contagious?
Matthew 5:16 — In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Is your love as contagious as chicken pox?
Picture this: September 1995 in New Orleans. It’s first grade, and Marshall Collins comes to school with chicken pox.
We had no idea what chicken pox was. We were six. But I’ll never forget the look on Miss Amy’s face when Marshall rolled up his sleeve, scratching.
She about went crazy.
And then, it seemed like everybody else started scratching too. For the next two weeks, our whole class was out with chicken pox.
We’d all played on the same monkey bars that never got wiped down. We sneezed without washing our hands, and before long, what one person carried had spread to everybody else.
It was miserable and itchy, but even at six years old, I learned one thing: all it took was contact.
And isn’t it interesting how the things we carry have a way of rubbing off on the people around us?
That makes me wonder: What if our love worked the same way?
What if the way we give, the way we speak, and the way we show up left people with a little more hope instead of a little more hurt?
Jesus tells us to let our light shine—not so people will notice us, but so they’ll see what God is doing through us and give glory to our Father in heaven.
So maybe the question isn’t just, “Am I being a good person?”
Maybe it’s, “When people come into contact with me, do they come into contact with Jesus?”
Today, that’s my prayer—and I hope it can be yours, too:
Lord, let Your love shine through my life so clearly that people don’t just notice me; they notice You. Let Your love be contagious in every conversation, every inconvenience, and every ordinary moment. May the people I encounter leave with more hope, more grace, and a greater desire to know the One who changed me, too.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- What are you “carrying” into your interactions with people today—peace, frustration, hope, stress, grace?
- Who is someone in your life who might need a little more hope or kindness from you?
- What could you do today to let your light shine in a way that points someone toward Jesus?
