Deacon Jude Tam Tran

A FLASHLIGHT FOR THE BLIND

“You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:14,16

You ever have that one friend who always gives you gifts and you don’t quite understand? Like, someone once gave me a pineapple-shaped candle. Why? No idea. But I smiled politely and said “Thank you,” because that’s what civilized humans do.

Well, in this story, our friend—not me, thank the Lord—is blind. And he goes to visit his longtime buddy, the kind of friend who still remembers your birthday but forgets to return your Tupperware.

They spend the whole evening together laughing, sharing old memories, probably arguing for the hundredth time about who cheated back in their college board game days. After dinner, the blind man pats his full stomach and says, “Alright, I better head home before the crickets start charging rent.”

His friend nods, walks him to the door, then suddenly says, “Wait right here!”—which, to a blind person, is always an interesting command because… well… where else is he gonna go?

The host returns proudly holding… a flashlight.

“Take this,” he says with the enthusiasm of someone handing over a winning lottery ticket. “It’s dark outside. You can’t see the way. Use this flashlight to light your path home.”

A long pause. The blind man slowly raises an eyebrow—the universal sign for: Excuse me, what nonsense is this?

He says, “My brother… I am blind. Blind. I haven’t seen light since before WiFi existed. Why on earth would I need a flashlight? Are you trying to be funny? ‘Cause I’m not laughing.”

Now the host bursts out laughing—not because he’s mocking him, but because he suddenly realizes the misunderstanding.

“No, no! You’ve got it wrong,” he says. “This flashlight isn’t for you so you can see the road. It is for other people who can see you on the road, so they will not bump into you.”

The blind man goes quiet.

The host continues, “Many people walk that road at night. Cyclists, carts, folks carrying baskets big enough to relocate a family of raccoons. If they can’t see you, they might bump into you. The light is for them.”

And suddenly, the blind man's face softens. The corners of his mouth lift slowly, like someone finally explained that the strange pineapple candle was actually a lamp. He holds the flashlight in his hand, feeling its shape, its weight, and now—its purpose.

“Oh,” he says, “so it’s not for me… it’s for others.”

“Exactly,” his friend answers. “Sometimes your light helps people who aren’t you.”
The blind man nods, touched in a way that words can’t quite capture. And with that gentle understanding warming his heart, he heads home, swinging the flashlight like he is Gandalf leading a group of hobbits through the night.

A Light That’s Not About You

This little story has more depth than it seems. Sometimes we think what God gives us doesn’t make sense. We wonder:

“Why did God give me this talent if I don’t need it?”
“Why this personality?”
“Why this burden?”
“Why this opportunity?”
“Why this… flashlight?”

And God gently says,

“My child, it’s not always for you. Sometimes the light I place in your hands is so others don’t stumble when they walk near you.”

Jesus once said:

“You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:14,16

Notice He didn’t say, “Shine so you can see better.”

He said, “Shine so others can see something good and find God through it.”

Sometimes your kindness is the flashlight.

Sometimes your patience is the flashlight.

Sometimes your smile, your encouraging word, your generosity, your listening ear, your simple presence—those are the beams of light that help someone else feel seen, safe, or strengthened.

You may think what you carry is small or pointless.

But someone else might be depending on the glow you don’t even notice you’re giving off.

We all go through life thinking our actions are just for us. But the truth is, we influence people constantly:

When you decide to stay calm instead of snapping back, someone else sees what peace looks like.

When you show compassion instead of judgment, someone else rethinks how God loves us.

When you act with integrity, someone else learns what honesty really means.

When you offer forgiveness, someone else realizes reconciliation is possible.

When you shine your light—whether you feel “qualified” or not—someone else’s path becomes just a little less dark.

And sometimes, the flashlight God asks you to carry won’t make your journey easier at all.

The blind man walked home that night holding a flashlight he didn’t need… but others did.

You never know who’s walking next to you in the dark.

You never know who’s depending on your glow to keep from stumbling.

You never know whose life you might be saving without even realizing it.

So take that metaphorical flashlight—your kindness, your strength, your love, your faith—and lift it high.

Someone out there may need it.

And maybe, just maybe, one day that same someone will shine their light for you.