In his post to the Jack’s Winning Words blog today, pastor Freed used this Sir Francis Bacon quote – “In order for the light to shine brightly, the darkness must be present.”
That quote seemed to fit nicely with a graphic that I recently received –
Darkness seems to be forever linked with bad things happening, but is may just be an indication of how someone is reacting to things going on around them. The world can seem to be closing in on them, blocking out the goodness (the light) that is still there. They focus on the darkness and don’t see the light.
Jack wrote about his experience with seeing the impact of a single candle in the complete darkness of a huge cave. If you know someone who seems surrounded and overcome by darkness, Jack went on to write – Perhaps you can be “that light” to someone today. “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!”
But how do you become the light in someone else’s darkness? The first step is to recognize that the person is hurting somehow and to just be there for them in their time of need. Just having someone to talks to can often be the difference. Sharing a disappointment or a defeat, or maybe the pain of the loss of a loved one, is cathartic in and of itself. If you can summon words of hope and encouragement, so much eh better; but just being there for them is a big help.
One doesn’t always have to become embroiled in big, life changing moments to become a light in someone’s life. Let your light shine through the little things, too, like saying, “Hello, how are you” to some one that you encounter or maybe holding a door open for someone. Those small gestures shine your light into what may have been the darkness of loneliness in that person’s life. Even a smile as you pass someone on the street is an acknowledgement that you acknowledge that person’s existence ands for some that is a light in an otherwise dark world.
The line from the song “This Little Light of Mine” also impacts you. If you approach each day as an opportunity to let your light shine in someone’s life you might soon notice your own life becoming better. You will feel better about yourself. You will have more friends. You will be more sought after. The darkness in your own life will fade away in the reflection of your own shining light.
So, let your light shine today. Be a light in someone else’s darkness.
Shine on!
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