Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” God sometimes places us in dark places and situations so that His light in us can shine for others to see. Often when He does this, we may view it as a type of punishment, that we are having to retake a test or that He is trying to ‘work’ something into us. Being placed in a dark place may actually be His way of rewarding us and showing us that He has confidence in us to “let our good deeds shine out for all to see”. Often times what we see as being a demotion here on earth is a promotion in heaven.