Light It Up, Lazarus!

John 11:

43 “[...] And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice,* 'Lazarus, come out!'

44 The dead man came out, bound hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, 'Untie him and let him go.' "

As this passage was read in Mass 3 weeks ago, I just stopped dead in my tracks. (Haha, dead…no worries, Jesus will raise me!) But, I realized something…Jesus raised Lazarus, who then walked out, having overcome death. But notice! Even though he was raised, he still was wrapped in burial cloths, his hands and feet were bound….perhaps this is a metaphor for our lives.

Many a time, people are asked, “Have you been saved?”. This question has always confused me, because, yes…I have. Jesus died for me. I understand the importance of recognizing and “accepting/proclaiming Jesus”, but YES! We have been saved! All of us have been saved.

HOWEVER, even though Jesus may have already saved us, are we not possibly still bound hand and foot? Perhaps not by burial cloths, but by temptations, by sins, by insecurity. We have been saved in the sense that we now have an option other than being eternally condemned by our sin, but we are still living in a world that has indeed allowed original sin to enter in. That sin remains and presents us with one option. Jesus, however, gave us an alternative, a second option, but we still have to choose it. We have to unwrap the things that bind us, physically, emotionally, and mentally. When Jesus raised Lazarus, he gave him life but then said "Come Forth". Lazarus had to get up and get himself out of the tomb. Jesus did not carry him. He gave him the tools and then allowed him to put forth the effort.

In the same way, God gave us life and now we must go forward and do something; even when perhaps we may not see Jesus right away. In the picture to the right, Jesus is not even visible. There is a light at the top of the stairs and a hope to strive towards. And because of his great love for us, even if we struggle to see him a the time, he deserves for us to at least stumble, crawl, scoot, drag ourselves up the stairs, because the light and hope at the top is that worth it.

Jesus’ love remains within our hearts and reigns supreme in our lives, but we must daily choose to 'Come Forth' from the tomb where we were raised, unwind the cloths that may be hiding our resurrected souls, so that the light of Christ in our lives has the opportunity to shine on to others as well. Muscical Interlude: (This little light of mine… hide it under a burial cloth? NO!... I’m gonna let it shine.. let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.)

So, I ask you…what may you be hiding?

Often, when people ask this question, they mean, “What shame and sin are you hiding?” but I am asking you…

“What talent/light/love/pure brilliance are you hiding with sin, under those burial cloths?”

Because, it’s no secret.

We are human and imperfect.

We can hide our imperfections all we want, but everyone knows those imperfecti

ons are there. What people may not know about us is our love for Christ, the faith we choose each morning, the source of our joy.

THAT is most likely What you’re hiding. Because if you're spending energy hiding the fact that you're not perfect, you're burning energy.

I know you’re not perfect.

I know you sin.

I know you struggle.

And it’s not because I’m a super secret spy, but because I also am not perfect. I sin, I struggle, I’m human.

So, don’t let a misdirected desire for perfection drive your life into the ground. Don’t work so hard to cover it up. We all know that it is there, we see it in this Bible passage. Even though Lazarus had been saved, he was still imperfect. God knows, Jesus knows, he basically tells us in that passage that we still have work to do. But never fear! Jesus gave us life and a beautiful opportunity to unleash ourselves from what binds us.

Think about it…Christ would not have died for you, if you were perfect. But he died for your imperfect, beautiful, stunning heart.

Allow the world to know what he has done for you.

Let your light shine again & again.

If we all shine, we might become a blinding force to be reckoned with, one that might rival the Sun and the Son.

Stay on the Sunny/Salty Side! ______________________________________________________________________________________

Lailee is Philosophy graduate of Benedictine College, 2013. She works and adores her job as full-time nanny and lover of sunshine in Kansas City. State of origin is Texas, but most people think Colorado or California. Perhaps because she has never worn cowboy boots and couldn't have an accent if she tried. She loves smiling, writing, deep conversation, dancing, and good steak. St. Jude is her saint stalker. (It's a thing!)