“If everyone shared their light with others, the world would be aglow.”
–Anonymous
Life is not a continuous shower of sunshine. We all experience periods of darkness, but living in darkness is temporary for those who want to experience the light again.
Unfortunately, some people choose to live in darkness most of the time, grieving over losses and disappointments, and sometimes wallowing in self-pity. That is a terrible way to live, and nobody has to live that way for prolonged periods of time. We all have times when life’s heartaches may be too much for us to see much light. I have lived through such periods, and so has everyone else, but the light will always return if that is our desire.
Imagine for a moment that you are in total darkness in a large room with several other people. The darkness is so overwhelming that it is hard to imagine ever seeing light again. Then a single person enters the large dark room with a lighted candle. What a difference it makes! Now suppose the person with the lighted candle gives everyone in the room an unlighted candle and offers to share his tiny glow of light. One by one the people with the unlighted candles touch them to the single lighted one and they come alive. Soon the room is full of light.
There is not enough darkness in the whole world to overcome the light of a single candle. We all serve as candles whether we produce much light or not. Sometimes our light flickers and almost goes out. At such times we need help to get our candles glowing again, and help is almost always available if we seek it out. At other times, when our lights are glowing strongly, we have more than we need and so we should share our light with others who need a little boost. Some people just seem to be glowing with light almost all the time, and they brighten up the lives of everyone they touch. Others need to have their light jumpstarted from time to time and should not be hesitant to seek out sources for replenishing their light.
I believe that God intends for us to keep each other’s lights going. When we need a boost we should seek out a supplemental source of light, and when we have a surplus of light we should share it with others. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone with surplus light saw it as their mission to share that light with others, and those whose light was flickering always felt free to seek additional light from others.
Think about it.
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Copyright 2024
Allen W. Smith
