We’ll leave the light on for ya

Do you have favorite commercials that contain a line you still utter years later? 

For Les and me, one of those commercials was for Motel 6 and ended with the sentence,
“I’m Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we’ll leave the light on for ya.” 

Maybe this commercial resonates with us because we stayed in a Motel 6 in Williamsburg, Virginia, on our honeymoon. We were so cash-strapped, the $18.99 price was attractive to our budget. Because it was our honeymoon, I think we even splurged the $1 to get the key to turn on the TV. (Yes, really, TV was separate and required a key.)

We say it every time we turn on the porch light when the other is out in the evening. We say it in places it only tangentially fits. (In that quirky way of memories, we’ve always said, “Bob Bodett”—I didn’t realize his name was Tom until I looked it up for this post.) It’s just a way to remind each other that we care, and we want them to easily find their way home in the dark.

We hear a lot about darkness in our world today, and it’s not just because of the seasonal time change. It feels dark when we see sin becoming more commonplace. Poverty and violence and war assault our senses, overwhelming us. 

But there is a plus side:  Light is most affective when it is darkest. 

Jesus tells his followers: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). So, if the world is darker than ever, our light can shine more brightly! Jesus goes on to say, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Our lives, our love shown through our actions, can be the light that draws people. We can be a light of welcome, pointing them to the hope and new life found in Jesus. 

Christians are not called to stomp out the dark. Nor to whine about it. And not even to live in fear of it.

We’re called to be a Tom Bodett, shining our light brightly and reminding the world, “We’ll leave the light on for ya.” And we rejoice to welcome them home to Jesus.