The first recorded words of God in the Bible are, “Let there be light!” In the eighth chapter of John, Jesus says”I am the light of the world.” In the fifth chapter of Matthew, Jesus says to his followers “You are the light of the world”. Was He passing the torch of God’s light to us, or are we to reflect His light? The short answer is BOTH. We reflect His light with the help of the Holy Spirit He has provided for us.
We are in this dark world but we are warned not to be like this world. Have you ever noticed that on a bright sunny day some sidewalks seem to sparkle and glisten? That is because the contractor added ground glass to the cement so the surface has more traction when hardened. Those particles of glass are in the cement but are not cement and that becomes evident when they reflect light from the sun. As Christians, we are in the world but different from the world and that difference becomes clear when we reflect the light of the Son.
Doctor Elisabeth Kubler-Ross encountered the inner light we have, when she studied death and dying. She likened humans to stained glass windows. We are attractive when reflecting the light of day, but most beautiful when illuminated by a light from within during our darkest hours. I don’t know if she discovered the source of that inner light herself, but she certainly recognized it in others.
I don’t know about you but, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”