I took off my sandals and honored the flames
of the bush at my feet, The sparks lit on my heart
and filled it with the sun. I felt the river of light swell in my mind,
its waves blazing a path through the icy mountain.
I rode those waves to the top of your holy hill..
gently wrapped in moonbeams and
filled with the lullabies of a million stars.
Every one of them smiled at me
and I kissed the night farewell.
I became fire and sun,
lightning and dawn,
moonbeam and starlight.
I am the light of heaven’s candle
placed high on a stand... a child of the day held safely
in the golden light of an angel’s halo.
Have you ever stopped to notice how fascinated kids are with light? Nathan has a thing for fire. He loves the fireworks and holding the sparklers and pretty much loves watching someone light a candle with matches…always makes me a little nervous.(Okay, a lot nervous) Olivia needs a nightlight(and a reassuring hug) to ease her fear of monsters and shadows, and Clare loves anything that sparkles – glittery headbands, t-shirts with sequens, and twinkle toe shoes. For Olivia, one flip of a switch, and her fear of a dark room vanishes. For Nathan, one strike of a match, and he feels magical and powerful. Olivia has to be the one to turn on the light switch in every room. She loves the independence and the control of that action. And for Clare, one pose where the light can hit her sequins and she sparkles from the inside out. Every girl needs a little bling, and for that matter, so does every soul.
And there are plenty of places in scripture that speak to the need we have for light, and the difference that light can bring to everyone’s lives. We are invited to “let our light shine”. We are called to not hide our light under a bushel basket. We are to be the light that dispels all darkness. In songs we sing that we are to be like the sun and shine on everyone. But what does this mean? If we were to replace the abstract concept of “light” with other words, what would those words mean so that everyone clearly understands how to be light.? And do we need to understand darkness first, so we know what light is, and experience what light is supposed to feel like?
What does darkness feel like? If you’ve ever gone a few days without sunshine, you know what darkness feels like. It feels heavy, gloomy, depressing, and many people feel the need to nap more when its cloudy. On darker days, we tend to think darker thoughts. And when those clouds lift and the sun comes out, everyone has more energy. People feel light-hearted and cheerful. Some even talk about being more productive at work or at home. The sun causes us to feel more positive and hopeful about everything. As the sun warms our bodies, our spirits are wrapped in a warmth that magnifies everything that is good. Darkness can feel chilly and damp and our spirit tends to be cold and unreceptive to goodness. In order to experience the miracle that light is, we have to befriend the dark. Because light can’t be light without darkness. Recently, Clare brought home a paper plate with mini oreos glued to the plate. Her project demonstrated the phases of the moon. An oreo with all the frosting on it was the full moon. An oreo with only half the frosting on it was her “half moon”. As she described the different phases of the moon, the oreo cookie was the perfect example of light needing dark in order to be light. It is interesting to note that when kids are given an oreo cookie, what do they do first? Most kids will open it up and eat all the frosting first and then eat the rest of the cookie. The sweetness and softness of light is often preferred to the somewhat bitter and crunchy, crumbling, and, often messy, darkness.
Every morning, the first thing I do is flip the light switch on in our kitchen. One simple flip of a switch and that darkness is gone. I can see everything I need and can do everything I need to do. We all have a switch inside us that can be turned on at any time so we can feel the light and be light for everyone else. That switch is simply an intended thought. Darkness is anything that is negative. Anything that is negative keeps us separated from God. Separation from God is equal to the light switch remaining off. Fear is what keeps the light switch turned to off and blocks the current of light. Anxiety, depression, sadness, lack, guilt, complaints, gossip, judgment, blame, and our litany of what is “wrong” with the world blocks the energy of light from flowing through us and out to the world. Darkness is simply our perceived absence of something we think we need to have in order to be happy. We believe that unless that “emptiness” is filled, we won’t be happy. All fear (darkness) is simply our belief that what we need won’t come to me.
Many of us have grown so comfortable with the dark, that we forget what it feels like to bask in the light. For some, it is easier to embrace darkness than light, and we have to ask God to re-train our minds to become as comfortable with light as we have with the dark. Once our minds are fully penetrated with light, darkness cannot exist. We pray in order to keep our lamps burning. We pray in order to remember to flip the switch to “on”.
Light is simply the feeling of love. Anything we do or say to make someone feel loved is “light”.
Darkness is simply the feeling of fear. Anything we do or say that has fear at its foundation is “dark”. Darkness becomes a gift, when we remember that all we have to do is “flip the switch” and turn the thoughts and feelings of love “on”. Day always follows night is our hope and our example of how we can change a “dark” thought, or action, into a beacon of light.
Light is truth. Anytime we stand and live by truth, we are light. The truth becomes the ray of light that sets us free. Holding onto secrets keeps us imprisoned in darkness. Smile and you are light. It is a very simple action, but think of how little we probably smile in 24 hours. If you walk into an office and you see a receptionist with a stern look on his/her face, how does that make you feel? If you walk into the same office and the receptionist always makes an effort to look up and smile directly at you, what do you feel? Give a sincere compliment, and you are light. Take a meal to a new mom, and you are light. Pray with someone, or for someone, and you are light. Read a book to a child, and you are light. Develop and use a God-given talent and you are light. Take the time to have a “real conversation” instead of the usual How are you? Oh, I’m fine.” and you are light. Take a batch of cookies to your new neighbor and welcome them to the neighborhood and you are light. When someone approaches you and gives you a list of everything that has gone wrong in their day, say something encouraging and positive instead of adding your woes to that list and transform that piece of darkness into light. There are a million ways to place a million twinkling stars into dark and cloudy skies. “Light” feels light. Many people on a spiritual quest seek to live “enlightened” lives. Spirituality is all about being seekers of light. Light is the God-force and the divine power we all possess within our Center. And when we flip our switch, the power of darkness is gone. It is dissolved by the energy of light. We must become a channel for which the energy of light can freely flow through us. If we hold onto a grudge, we have blocked the current through which light flows. If we hold any prejudices, we have pulled down the shades on light and wrapped ourselves in the fake comfort of darkness.
Put a package of oreo cookies on your grocery list the next time you go to the store. Recall that our lives are a mixture of light and dark, and both have been necessary to understand our role as light-bearers. Pour a glass of milk, and as you eat them, whether you start with the frosting or the cookie itself, think about all the ways that you have been light to someone in the past twenty-four hours. Realize what a powerful person of light you have been to your family, your workplace, your neighbors, your place of worship, and your community. Use the image of the oreo to remind yourself to flip the switch to “on” and shed light wherever you encounter darkness. Give thanks for the “darkness” because after every dark moment, light must rise up and shine its glory upon all of creation. We were born of the Great Light and so we can’t help but be Light.
