Yesterday, I went to church with my husband and was inspired by the sermon, where the priest encouraged us to "be a light" for others. It's such a cliche nowadays to say "Let your light shine" or "Shine on". It's become almost a selfish thing to let your light shine, because people so often do it to glorify themselves. And yet when you think about how light really is used in the world, it's anything but self-glorifying. You use light to dispel darkness, to help others see, to banish fear, to rescue and give hope. You use light to make things more beautiful, or to guide those who don't know their way. Nobody ever shines a light for the mere sake of shining a light. Light always shines with a purpose.
I want to be a light, and I want to shine with purpose. To point people to the things that are greater than me, that make me who I am. Family. Friendship. Love. Passion. Humility. Goodness. Faith. God.
We all have it in us to be a light for others. It could be in the greatest masterpiece or the smallest gesture, but everyone has the power to dispel darkness. I think the most important thing is to know what it is you are shining your light upon. What are we helping others to see? Because we only have so much time to illuminate our small part of the world. Before we know it, our fire runs out. This is the truth for all of us. When this happens, can I say that I helped people find something worth looking for?
Recent Comments