Light Shared

We went to a concert last night – Audio Adrenaline and Mercy Me. We had a terrific time – great music and witness, excellent company.

I didn’t take any pictures – I just enjoyed the show. I did give my cell phone to J at one point, and he took a photo. Unfortunately, getting a picture from my phone to my computer involves a pit stop in my handheld PDA, which, while multi-stepped, is usually not a problem. This morning, the handheld and the phone aren’t speaking to each other. I’ve sent them both to Time Out, and we’ll just have to do without a photograph.

Picture in your mind the lights at a concert. Those staging the show must add fog to the air, because you can see the path of the lights on the stage. I love to look at lights – how they dance on ceiling, over the crowd, on the stage. I like the patterns they make and the colors they spread around the room.

As I was watching last night, Steve leaned over and said, “You can only see light when it hits something.” Right. That’s why I’m sure there was something in the air (fog, smoke, dust) to reflect back the light. It’s why I could see the beams in the air, and not just where they hit the floor. Steve looked at me again, and said, “You can only see the Light when it hits something.”

Oh.

I get it.

You can only see God’s light when it is reflected back to you.

So if you are standing in a room, feeling distant from God, throw some light on the subject. Spread some God around. Then you’ll see it. Reflected back to you.

I don’t believe that this means that if we are alone with God, we won’t know him or be aware of him. We certainly can be. What I think this means is that if we are to be the Light of the World, then we need to Light Up the World. Throw some light around.

A story, and as they say in the movies, the names (and circumstances) have been changed to protect the innocent, but at its core, it is a true story.

Rebecca was “in trouble.” She really needed help, so she went to a private organization that was “in the business” of providing help. One particular woman who worked there, Diana, was involved in getting Rebecca the help she needed.

Later, Rebecca rededicated her life to God. The next day, she stopped by to see Diana. Diana knew what had happened, and hugged Rebecca, glad that God had become involved in Rebecca’s life. Rebecca said to Diana, “I just want you to know that one of the reasons that I am standing here is because of you.”

Light given. Light shared. We don’t always get to see the love of God reflected back to us when we share it, but sometimes, when we throw the love around, we are witnesses to its brilliant work of transformation – during the darkness into the presence of God.

Image: Light and trees at VA. Notice how the light makes the leaves shine.