Secretly or not?

~Tuesday Thoughts~

"“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."" Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

"“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

  “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."" Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)

These two passages from consecutive chapters look like they're contradicting each other. How are people supposed to see our light if we do it all in secret? I am not entirely sure myself about how this is supposed to work. 

But we can do good without getting the trumpets out. We can be kind to others and let them see something different in us. 

So, how about trying that?