“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:14 ESV

It is a couple hours before sunrise. I am currently huddling under blankets in a dark, cold house. Why? We have no power. We lost it yesterday and may not get it back for a day or two.

Yet as I sit here and reflect, God is reminding me of this: although I cannot choose whether or not to have power, I do still have a choice in this moment and throughout this day.  My choice is not whether or not to be contagious; but rather, it is what I am going to spread.

For we are all contagious. No, we are not contagious in the sense of spreading a physical sickness like a cold or the flu, but we are contagious when it comes to our attitude and our actions. What we do and the attitude in which we do it are easily caught. They are extremely contagious and will spread quickly throughout our home, our work, and everywhere we go.

What we “have” determines what we spread. So I ask you today? Are you spreading hope? Joy? Peace? Contentment? Commitment? A strong work ethic? People around you will not only notice, but after being exposed to you for a bit, they will catch it as well. Are you bitter? Angry?Discontent? Do you complain, slack off, and judge? People around you will notice that, too. And unfortunately, after too much exposure, they will catch that as well.

I hate to burst your bubble, but your life will never be perfect, for you live in a fallen world teeming with endless possibilities of things that can and will go wrong. And you will not have control over all of them. But you will always have control over one thing: how you choose to handle what comes your way.

So I encourage you today to choose to spread the good stuff. I encourage you to choose wisely–to choose life–to choose to go through today and every day spreading the love and joy and peace that come from a life lived in fellowship with God  Go ahead and spread the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 ESV). And of course, “...Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16 ESV).