Backbone

We should not break the backbone of our faith for the sake of not cramping our style. Still, we tend to hang our hopes on weighty issues that even the most solid of backbones was never meant to carry. So we address popular opinions, but hopefully without tweaking ours to suit theirs. In The Message Bible, Matthew 5:14-16 reads, "You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." Do we shine brightly with this truth mixed with grace, or are we merely blending in with the crowd?