Today's reading for services focused on light, and how we as believers can become a light for others. As I reflect on the different types of light, an interesting thought came to me. What light guides us? The sun? No, that tells us the time of day, and a general direction of east, south and west. But what light gives the greatest guidance? Is it not the stars?
Furthermore, stars shine day and night, but we only see them when the sun sets. The darker the sky, the brighter the stars. And they are brightest on a moonless night. For years, navagators used the stars to guide them, giving them precise directions, charting them through areas where there was no other land mark to guide them.
I would like to suggest the same can be true for our lives. When life seems dark, we have a greater capacity for direction, inspiration, guidance. We shine brighter, because when we keep faith during crisis, others know our faith and trust is more than mere words. Often it is when we experience darkness that we receive our greatest inspirations, most wonderous thoughts, deepest poems and profound creations. It's as though we too pierce the veil better when the bright light no longer shines.
None of us like darkness. I would rather be lit by the sun than navigate by the stars. But, as in all things, nature has something to teach us, that wherever we are in life, God's purpose can be fulfilled. And we should cling to this knowledge, that darkness is not dark to God. Because, in darkness, you can be an even greater light to those around you, to your family and friends, even to yourself.
Stars of night, shining bright, teach us to treasure our times to shine, that we too may become beacons for those wandering and in need of a light.
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