By Peggy Berglund

The aroma of ethnic food wafted through the cabin on a “no food offered” flight we were on recently.  The evidence of food on board created feelings of hunger for at least some of us.  After the owners of the food enjoyed their delicacies the lids were put back on the food containers and not taken off again until just before the end of the flight, when again we were made aware of the enticing meal they had carried on the plane.

A Facebook friend of mine makes several trips a year to Haiti from her home in Florida.  While there she cares for the homeless elderly as well as young needy children.  She posted a picture of herself cuddling a small child.  “You are a vessel carrying His love”, was my comment to that picture displaying her tender care, to which she replied “As we all are.  Some people just forget to take the lid off.”

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world.  A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. “ In other words, He’s telling us to “take the lid off”. In II Corinthians 2:14 we have a picture of the aroma that draws people to find their spiritual hunger fulfilled in Him.  John 13:34 tells us we are to be a vessel of His love “A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

So how do we do it?  Am I able to be that aroma that draws others to want more of Jesus, or be that light that causes someone to want to praise God?  Am I capable of loving others unconditionally as Jesus loves me?  Not on my own – I can’t.  I think the answer to that dilemma may be found in Romans 5:5 “…God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us”.  That’s the only way we can be who He called us to be.

My friend is right – if we take “the lid” off and open our lives to let the Lord fill us, we can then keep “the lid” off so His love will flow out to others, as Jesus tells us in John 7:38,39 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this He meant the Spirit whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.”