“Let your light so shine:” — Your lowliness of heart; your gentleness, and meekness of wisdom; your serious, weighty concern for the things of eternity, and sorrow for the sins and miseries of men; your earnest desire of universal holiness, and full happiness in God; your tender good-will to all mankind, and fervent love to your supreme Benefactor. Endeavour not to conceal this light, wherewith God hath enlightened your soul; but let it shine beforemen, before all with whom you are, in the whole tenor of your conversation. Let it shine still more eminently in your actions, in your doing all possible good to all men; and in your suffering for righteousness’ sake, while you “rejoice and are exceeding glad, knowing that great is your reward in heaven.”

I am writing this devotional on Groundhog Day in February. The day, of course, centers around a groundhog who foretells the weather. But what I think about most on this day is the hilarious movie, Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray.

It is the story of a cynical TV weatherman, Phil Connor, who finds himself reliving the same day over and over when he goes to the small town of Punxsutawney to film a report about their annual Groundhog Day. Phil is the sort of guy who thinks he is better than everyone. He believes he should be working in a bigger market, and he hates doing “fluff” pieces. He treats everyone around him poorly. It is here in this little nowhere town the story begins. Every day, he wakes up in his bed hearing the same song on the radio by Sonny and Cher, I Got You, Babe. He meets the same people every day in the same locations, doing the same thing they did yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that.

While this movie is a comedy… it is also a movie with a message about how people can change if given the time… time to look into their souls and see how their actions and attitudes affect the people around them…