This Little Light Of Mine

One of my son’s favourite songs to sing at bed time is “This Little Light of Mine.” It’s a song that I have known forever and ever...okay, only in my lifetime, but I don’t remember not knowing the song. I am sure I am not alone in that! While much of my life I sang it unaware of what it meant, (Was it ‘hide it under a bushel, no’? or ‘hide it under a bush, oh no!’) the song grows more meaningful as I grow older and farther along on my journey with God.

I have recently been drawn again and again to a quote that I heard recently. “How can we expect darkness to be light?”

It is so common to hear comments like “what is the world coming to?” “Can you believe people these days?”, but how can we expect people who are living in darkness to act as though they are in the light? How can we expect those in darkness to know what light is when they only get a glimpse of it once in awhile? “This little light of mine” was said to be written after Luke 11:33 “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they that come in may see the light.”(kjv). How many times have I been guilty of hiding my light and blending in with people who are in darkness? How often have I failed to fuel my candle so that it will shine brightly to all around me? How often have I forgotten that I carry the light?

The bigger the light; the brighter the light; the more lights shining; the more the darkness will be penetrated with God’s light!

We as Christians have been sent out like Paul to penetrate the darkness around us. We know the impact that Paul’s light had on the Gentiles in his day just by reading the Bible. He was a light. His Damascus road conversion gives testimony to this in Acts 26:15-18 "'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'"

This too is my job, and yours. We were all created with purpose, some parts different and some the same. But one purpose that we all carry is to light the world. Light the world with a kind word, a good deed, caring for those that no one else does, writing an encouragement note, showing self control when parenting, or any other of the million ways we can shine. Most importantly, however, we can share where our light comes from. Because we who carry the light of God, carry the light of life itself. John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!

Kourtnay K.