Bible Reading: Matthew 5:14-16; Philippians 2:14-15

"Mom's calling," Selah said as she and her sister played with neighbor kids in the common area of their apartment complex.

"It must be time for dinner already," said Alice. The girls told their friends goodbye and hurried to their apartment.

"Guess what!" said Mom as they talked about their day. "I got a job offer."

Dad grinned. "Let me guess--someone asked you to babysit their kids."

Mom laughed. "You're right. Melissa, in apartment three, asked if I'd like to watch Anya and Jaxton when she goes back to work on Mondays and Fridays."

Selah looked surprised. "Dad, how did you know that was what someone wanted Mom to do?"

"Well, it's not the first time it's happened," said Dad. "The Petersons wanted Mom to take care of their son one weekend when they had to be away, remember? And a few weeks ago, the librarian at your school asked Mom to babysit for a couple of days."

Alice looked puzzled. "That's so weird. It's not like Mom put flyers around town saying she'd babysit. Why do people keep asking her?"

"Well," said Mom, "they know I'm a stay-at-home mom, so maybe they figure I'd like to earn a little money. And I think another reason they ask me is because of you guys."

"Us?" said Selah. "I don't get it."

Mom smiled. "I think they look at you and say to themselves, 'Those are nice kids! I could trust my children to be in that home. I'll see if their mother would like to work for me.'"

Alice grinned. "We're just such angels," she joked.

Dad laughed. "Not quite. I've seen your halos slip off and hit the floor quite a few times. You're not angels, but you are lights. The Bible says Christians are supposed to be lights in a dark world, and I've seen both of you shine the light of Jesus to others in how you treat them. Because we know Jesus, we are God's children and have His love in our hearts. When we let His love shine through our words and actions, people will notice that we're different and hopefully be pointed to Him."

"So thanks, girls, for being lights to our neighbors," said Mom. "Let's pray that our lives will make them want to know Jesus!"

-Lore Wolif