Ndili mwana, ine ndi makolo anga tinakayendera mlongo wina wa mayi anga ndi banja lawo ku Bloomington, Indiana. Madzulo ena ofunda ndimakumbukira kuti ndinali ndi chisangalalo chowona mazana ndi mazana a tizilombo tating'onoting'ono tomwe timayang'ana mlengalenga usiku. Kuwala kwawo kofewa komanso kwapakatikati kunali kodabwitsa kuwona. Ndikudziwa kuti pali kufotokozera kwasayansi pazochitika izi koma sindikanafuna kumva; Ndine wokhutitsidwa ndi zodabwitsa zake komanso chisangalalo chomwe chinabweretsa kumtima wa mnyamata. Tsopano, pafupifupi zaka 80 pambuyo pake, kamnyamata kameneka ndi nkhalamba—munthu wachikulire amene amakumbukirabe munthu wamng’ono amene anakondwera ndi chimodzi cha zolengedwa zosatha za Yehova Mulungu.

     Pokhala wophunzira wa Ambuye Yesu kwa zaka zopitirira makumi asanu ndi limodzi, posachedwapa ndinadzipenda ndekha za zimene ndachita popititsa patsogolo chifuno cha Mulungu mwa Yesu Kristu. Nditasinkhasinkha mozama ndinaona kuti kunena zoona sindinachite zambiri. Poyamba ndinakhumudwitsidwa pomaliza ndipo ine ndinatenga kanthawi kuti ndiyike nkhaniyo moyenera. Nditalingalira mozama ndikudzipenda ndekha ndapeza kuti zochepa zomwe ndachita m'moyo wanga mwina ndi zoona kwa Akhristu ena ambiri.

     Okhulupirira owerengeka okha ndi amene achita zambiri kotero kuti moyo ndi utumiki wawo zasungidwa. Ndili ndi malingaliro a amuna onga mtumwi Paulo, Petro ndi Yohane amene utumiki wawo waunikira mamiliyoni osaneneka kwa mibadwo ya nthaŵi ndipo adzapitiriza kulimbikitsa ena kukhala ophunzira m’nthaŵi imene yatsalayo Ambuye Yesu asanabwere. Koma m’miyoyo ya amuna oterowo munali amuna ena, osadziwika kwenikweni ngakhale panthawiyo, ndi akazi ambiri amene anali nyali zowala mu dziko lamdima kwa ochepa amene ankawadziwa ndipo anauziridwa ndi iwo. Ndipo kupyola mu zaka mazana ambiri pakhala pali ochepa amene akhala odziwika padziko lonse mu mautumiki awo ndi chiyambukiro chomwe anali nacho pokhudzana ndi kusunga chikhulupiriro chachikhristu. Koma, kachiwiri, mkati mwa zaka mazana ambiri amenewo payenera kuti panali mamiliyoni amene anatayika ku mbiriyakale koma amene kuwala kwawo kochepa kwa utumiki kunaunikira miyoyo ya ambiri.

     Ndikuganiza kuti ndinali m’gulu lomalizali—mamiliyoni osaneneka amene kwa kanthaŵi kochepa chabe anasonyeza kuwala kochepa kwa kuwala kwauzimu kumene kunapindulitsa ochepa. Mwina ndi kudzitamandira ngakhale kudzinenera kukhala mbali ya msonkhano waukulu wa okhulupirira, ine sindikudziwa. Koma ndimasangalala kudziona kuti ndine wocheperapo mwa ophunzira a Yesu, ndipo m’pamene fanizo la ntchentche limayamba kuonekera. M’dziko lino limene muli mdima wandiweyani, Mkristu aliyense wokhulupirika akuwalitsa kuwala kofewa kwa Mulungu. ndi Khristu m’miyoyo yawo. Amakhala ndi zisonkhezero pa miyoyo ya ena zomwe mwina samazindikira kuti ali nazo. Malinga ndi maganizo awo, iwo angaganize kuti si anthu ambiri, koma Mulungu ndi Khristu amawaona kuti ndi amtengo wapatali.

     Wophunzira ameneyu adakumana ndi kusintha kwakukulu ngakhale pang'ono chabe mwa Mzimu Woyera wa Mulungu wapanga m'moyo wake. Zabwino zomwe zachitika chifukwa cha zimenezo zakhala ntchito ya Mulungu. “Pakuti ndife ntchito ya Mulungu, olengedwa mwa Kristu Yesu kuti tichite ntchito zabwino, zimene Mulungu anazikonzeratu kuti tizizichita.” ( Aef. 2:10 ) Unali mwayi waukulu kwambiri kukopeka ndi Khristu n’kulandiridwa monga munthu wodzipereka kwa Mulungu. chotulukapo cha chikhulupiriro, kutengedwa umwana m’banja la Mulungu, Chotero, pambuyo pa zonse zalingaliridwa, ntchentche yaing’ono imeneyi ya Mkristu imazindikira kuti iye ndi mamiliyoni ambiri onga iye amadzetsa chisangalalo ku mtima wa Atate ndipo Yesu sachita manyazi kuitana oterowo. ( Aheb. 2:11 ) Pamapeto pake zapangitsa moyo kukhala wofunika kwambiri ndipo zadzaza mtima wa munthu wokalamba ndi chiyamikiro ndi chiyamikiro.

When I was a child, my parents and I visited one of my mother's sisters and her family in Bloomington, Indiana. One warm evening l remember experiencing the joy of seeing hundreds and hundreds of tiny luminous insects punctuating the night sky. Their soft, intermittent bursts of light were a wonder to behold. I know there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon but I would rather not hear it; I am content with the mysterious wonder of it and the joy it brought to a young boy’s heart. Now, about 80-years later, that young boy is an old man - old man who still remembers a younger self so pleasured by one of Yahweh God's endless creations.

     Having been a disciple of the Lord Jesus for more than sixty years, I recently took a personal inventory of how much I have accomplished in advancing God's purpose in Jesus Christ. After careful reflection I decided that in all honesty I hadn't accomplished much at all. At first I was disappointed in my conclusion and ii took awhile to put the matter in perspective. After considerable reflection and self-analysis I have concluded that the very little that I have accomplished in my lifetime probably is true of many other Christians.

     Only a few believers have accomplished so much that their life and ministry have been preserved. I have in mind men like the apostle Paul, Peter and John whose ministries have enlightened untold millions for generations of time and will continue to inspire others to become disciples in the time that remains before the Lord Jesus returns. But during the lives of such men there were other men, less known even then, and many women who were shining lights in the darkened world to the few who knew them and were inspired by them. And down through the centuries there have been a few who have become world-known in their ministries and the impact they had in relation to the preservation of the Christian faith. But, again, during those many centuries there must have been millions who are lost to history but whose little light of ministry illuminated the lives of many.

     I think of being a part of that latter group-the untold millions who for but a moment showed forth a small glow of spiritual light that benefitted a few. Perhaps it is a boast even to lay claim to being a part of that larger assembly of believers, I do not know. But it brings me joy to think of myself as one of the lesser ones of Jesus' disciples, and that is where the metaphor of the fire-fly comes in. In this intensely dark world every faithful Christian is reflecting a soft laminating light of God and Christ in their lives. They are having influences on the lives of others that they may never realize they are having. From their own point of view they may think that they don't amount to much, but they are loved and treasured by God and Christ.

     This disciple has experienced the dramatic changes even a small amount of God's Holy Spirit has made in his life. The good accomplished as a result of that has been God's work. “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10). What an honor it has been to be drawn to Christ and received, as a result of faith, adoption into the family of God, So, after all has been considered, this little fire-fly of a Christian recognizes that he and many millions like him bring joy to the Father's heart and Jesus is not ashamed to call such ones brothers (Heb. 2:11). In the end it has made a life worth living and filled an old man's heart with gratitude and thankfulness.

R. Frye
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