Being the Light…
- Rene Schiltz
- May 31, 2025
- 7 min read
By René Schiltz
Matthew 5: 14-16 says,
“You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
This beautiful analogy follows the Beatitudes, the name given to the part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount reflecting eight blessings and recorded in verses 3-10 of Matthew 5. Light is an important metaphor that Christians learn from childhood as they study scripture.
In John chapter 8, verse 12 we read, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” Jesus was teaching in the temple courts this time, and the Pharisees were questioning him.
So it seems we might have a contradiction on our hands. Who is the Light of the world? Jesus? Or his followers? As you know of course, the answer flows from one to the other, but let’s unpack it together to better understand our purpose as Christian lights in the world. Let us also see how our speech and debate skills can reflect this idea in competition and in life.
With the fall came sin and the world became different. For the analogy’s sake, let’s understand that the world was no longer operating under God’s perfect plan; no longer a world reflecting His pure and perfect light.
Light is illumination, a revealing that allows one to see and to see clearly. Occasionally I have stumbled in the dark in the middle of the night because I do not want to disturb those sleeping, and sometimes I have tripped over obstacles in the dark because I could not see them. I have learned that the tiniest light from my cell phone, not even its flashlight but simply waking my phone’s home screen provides enough light to keep me aware and safe. It allows me to see.
Now the world since the fall has become dark, lacking the full illumination of Truth. People stumble around in the dark trying to find peace or joy in all the wrong places. Jesus came to illuminate Truth and to restore our relationship with God. He is truly the Light of the world, the Illuminator that opens eyes to see and ears to hear the Word of God and to understand the promises that come with belief in Christ and His work on the cross and after.
Once we embrace His love and exercise our faith in Him and embrace the results of His coming, we become illuminated; full of His light. So while He is the Light, we are filled with His light. We are imperfect beings and will struggle sometimes, but scripture helps us to understand that the knowledge of His Truth sets us free from the bonds of sin.
So how do we shine our light for the world? We must embrace our gifts and speak on His behalf so that those in darkness can also see the Truth and welcome it. Doing this sometimes requires vulnerability.
Now I will be frank with you, vulnerability is one of my struggles. I feel helpless when I am vulnerable. So in those times I must cling to His word that when I am weak He will strengthen me. We read this in 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 where Paul says,
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness [emphasis mine]. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Note the underlined italics line: the strength of Jesus Christ is made perfect in our weakness. When we are weak and rely on the Holy Spirit to lift us up and lead us and work through us…He does! I am often amazed at how God works in His people - the beautiful acts of grace, kindness, and generosity sometimes overwhelm me in my own moments of need.
If our weakness can be used to glorify Christ, then there is nothing to be afraid of but to put our faith fully in Him so that His light will shine brightly as He works in us to lead others to Himself.
Now how does this apply to giving speeches and practicing debate? Everything we do is an opportunity to be the light. It does not matter if the topic of your speech is not theological, your speech on The History of Cars or Why I Want to Become a Chef (real topics I have heard from years past) are excellent topics and can glorify God and be the light. I remember these speeches because both of them were effective.
We are in the world and must live in it and we must not be idle. There are wonderful things in the world and each person must work according to his or her gifts. A car mechanic can be the light as he does his work and interacts with clients. So can a chef as she runs her kitchen. So no matter what you are talking about in your speeches you must remember that the way you approach everything should prioritize shining the Light.
As a debater, there tend to be other challenges. Debate is a long learning curve but is well worth the effort. I recommend the turtle method - slow and steady wins the race here. In debate the rules of making and citing evidence are clear; follow them. Highlight them, read them over and over. Write your own case once you have a basic understanding of how to do so, but be sure to cite every source and ask numerous questions of anyone willing to help you. Be thorough and be patient with yourself, be gentle and recognize that learning debate is not a 6 week process.
Please do not use AI to write your speech or your debate case. You live in a world so different from the one I grew up in. But plagiarism is a word whose definition has not changed in all that time. A christian who presents the ideas of others as his or her own is not being the light in that moment. And remember, in your weaknesses God can still use you to be the light! It is far better to admit that we do not know the answer to a question than to fumble through a faulty explanation we really do not understand or to present someone else’s ideas as our own.
I teach a speech class at a local homeschool co-op and had a situation of AI use arise. My heart ached because the student was bright, talented, and capable. It was a time problem and the student broke down when confronted. This person in that moment became an example to me of how we are so heart broken when we do not prioritize our desire to please God and be obedient to Him. This was not a problem of a real desire to cheat or engage in wrongdoing willfully, although that is what the result was. It was an attempt to justify what is so easily available to solve immediate problems and justifying it because of a deadline. When we are in the midst of crisis, sometimes we make bad decisions.
However, the opportunity to let one’s weakness show and to let the Holy Spirit lead us through it is what often leads people to Christ. The fact that we can let ourselves be vulnerable and rely on God to see us through is what many people long for in their own lives. That confidence in the midst of failure, that trust that all will be okay as we stumble through, that faith that this hiccup will not end my public speaking or debate career - those moments lift others up. In those moments people see your faith in action and they wonder and sometimes weep at the inspiring ability to just get through when the going seems so tough.
I remember as I was judging a speech many years back the student went blank right in the middle of an excellent speech. She stood still trying to remember her speech for what seemed like two minutes - it felt like an eternity. It was awkward. You could have heard a pin drop and no one was moving - I think we judges all held our breath as well. Yet in my mind I was praying for her. In my expression I tried to show that I believed she could do it and I think other judges did the same. At the end of that interminably long silence she began right where she had left off and finished beautifully. What courage! How easy to run out of the room it would have been, but she fought the battle right there in front of us…and she won. I often wondered if I would have had the courage to stand there for all that time. You might think we judges remember her as a failure, but no, I remember her as one of the greatest speech victories of all time.
Be assured that I am not telling you, “You do not need to prepare because God will see you through.” We should always prepare well for anything for which we desire a successful result. But in those moments of weakness, those moments when we stumble, I am asking you to exercise faith and trust and to avoid the traps and temptations that send a message of darkness - there is no light to shine there.
As Jesus came to restore light into the world and to reveal God’s perfect plan, embrace His light within you. Do not run from vulnerability. Let us all make the effort to understand how we can reveal God’s love even when we are weak, exposed, and feel defenseless. As Paul wrote in verse 10 above, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
What joy to reach the point as a Christian to take pleasure in our vulnerability. To be able to show others that there need be no fear in our weakness showing itself even in the most public of places. In those moments the non-christian sees a person who demonstrates a state of comfort and peace and joy in spite of hardship and trial, and those without Christ long for that very state of being. That’s when the door in their mind or heart may open a little; it’s when the Light shines through and can illuminate and reveal the Gospel message.
Citations:
BibleGateway.com, Matthew 5:14-16, NIV.
BibleGateway.com, John 8:12, NIV
Biblegateway.com, 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10, KJV
