Let Your Light Shine

“Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:16

This seems in contradiction to the verse in Matthew 6:3 which says, “When you give … do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”. In the verse before that, we read, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”

When we were going through my father’s things after he died, we found among his things, an envelope with letters from a woman. Reading through it, she was thanking him for some contribution my father made. My sister said we should find out who she is and why daddy was helping her. So we went to the address on the envelope, and met an 86 year old lady. She is very active in the Methodist church, and was a deaconess for several years. Her husband was a Pastor who had passed away some time ago. She was very effusive about the financial help my father gave for the Preacher’s Kids association, for a concert of Arnel de Pano, and even help for her own little apartment. Our visit was very rewarding for she was even a student of my grandfather, the late Bishop D.D. Alejandro, and she told us stories about him and our grandmother as well! 

When my mother died, several women came up to me also, telling me how my mother helped them when they needed it. She would give money to jumpstart their livelihood, or for their medicine, etc. My parents did not announce their good deeds, but certainly their light is still shining now!