I love things that glow in the dark. I have a shirt with glow-in-the-dark paint--I wait all year until October to wear that shirt, and then I wear the dog out of it until after Halloween. When my kids were little, I bought those glowing plastic stars and stuck them to their walls and ceilings. I've had jewelry, nail polish, shoe laces, ping-pong balls, all kinds of things that glow in the dark. And those glow necklaces and bracelets? Don't even get me started.
Just in case you missed it ... I love things that glow in the dark.
When I was a kid, my mom bought my siblings and I some putty. Not exactly Silly Putty (although, yes, they make GITD Silly Putty), but similar. We had one room in our small house which had no windows. So anytime we had anything that glowed, that was the room we ran to first to test it. Didn't matter to us that it was Mom and Dad's bathroom. It was dark.
We held that putty up to a light to "charge it," then we went in that tiny bathroom--one-by-one--to enjoy our treasure. And, oh, what a treasure it was.
I realized something much later. That dark little room, as dark as it was, still had a little light. If one waited long enough, one's eyes would adjust, and small details emerged. The shower head, the towel rack, a shiny tile or two. Because as dark as the room was, a sliver of light crept in beneath the door. And that's how light works.
Try this for yourself. Find a windowless room in your house (unless, of course, you're a photographer with your own dark room). Go inside, close the door, and turn off the lights. Is there a slice of light from under the door? Stuff a towel or a rug or something in there. Is it dark now? Is it really? Are you wearing a FitBit? Have a cell phone in your pocket? Anything at all that emits even the tiniest of lights?
Think about this: no matter how dark a space is, it only takes a tiny little light to interrupt that darkness. Light can overcome darkness.
But what about the opposite? Turn on the light in that dark room. Now, without turning off the light, try to make it dark. Didn't work, did it? Without someone willfully turning off the light, the room will never be completely dark.
Our world is just like that room. All it takes is just a little light in the dark to brighten things up. And nobody but you can put out your light. How encouraging is that? In this world, an admittedly dark place, little old you can LIGHT. IT. UP, BABY!
So that's my goal. I want to spread the light of God's love, and I hope to encourage you to do the same. Just a little light in the dark.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
- Where can I shine this week?
- Who can I share God's light and love with?
- Have there been situations lately where I tried to hide my light? If so, how might I have behaved or spoken differently?
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