Being Light and Love

Our job is not to hide what God has given to us,  but to shines through the cracks of our brokenness, bringing healing and hope to all. We are the light of the world. The light we possess is the Christ within us all.

G.K. Chesterton tells the story of a man who, no matter what, always seemed to be a problem for someone.

The tall folks thought he was too short. The short folks thought he was too tall.

The blondes said he was too dark. The brunettes thought he was too blonde.

Basically, the man was an equal-opportunity disappointment.

Now, we all know what it’s like to judge, and to be judged.

More often than not, our critiques of others tend to be base on what we don’t like about ourselves instead of recognizing the inherent goodness of every person.

​While we’re busy measuring each other up, God is looking at all of us and saying, “You are my beloved. I made you in my image.”

What if we truly believed that?  What if we could see ourselves as God sees us—made to reflect something holy, something good? Paul believes this is possible. And calls us out to make it happen.

...for once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light, or the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake!  Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”   Ephesians 5:8-14

Paul has this rhythm in his letters—first, laying out theology, then following it up with how we should live in response. For example, he tells us who we are in Christ. Then, he tells us how to live in a way that mirrors Christ’s love.

Today, Paul says we were darkness. But now? Now that we have been awoken to our Christ consciousness. Now we are light. Not just reflecting it or just basking in it. We …are … light. This light is our identity. So, live as children of the light – illuminating all that is good, right and true. Which of course should stop us from contributing to the darkness.

Of course, the simplest definition of darkness is the absence of light. But science suggests that’s not entirely true. While  dark matter swallows up most of the universe we still see the light, in its purest state, reflected on stars, planets and galaxies.

Light and dark share the same space. They always co-exist. What is true in the cosmos … is true within us all. We are light. But sometimes it takes a little effort to find it.

I remember staying at a friend’s place one night. His room was built into the center space of a giant warehouse. Which meant no windows, no outside light creeping in. When the lights were off, it felt like I was drowning in total darkness. It was suffocating and I was having trouble breathing.

But way over in the corner I spotted a  tiny green light glowing from his laptop charger. It was my lifesaver. The longer I focused my eyes on it, the brighter it got putting my soul to ease. That’s the power of light.The smallest glow can bring a glimmer of hope.

Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” You. Are. Light.

So when life feels overwhelmingly dark, you always have something within—illuminating, even when you can’t perceive it. That something is Christ…the light of God’s love that reveals our true nature, and draws us closer to our divine source.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes, "When we allow ourselves to be the light of Christ, we do not need to seek it out; it already shines in us. To live as children of the light is not to be something we have to become, but to be something we already are."

You might think your light is weak or barely noticeable. But in a world stumbling through the dark, even the smallest glow matters. Light and dark co-exist. But here’s the thing: light doesn’t just exist for itself. It’s there to illuminate the darkness, to guide us through it, and to reveal what’s hidden in it.

Light exposes truth, it casts out fear, it leads people home. Thus, we are called to radiate God’s love in our relationships, our communities, and the broken places where we think this light can’t reach. Like Lenard Cohen sang, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

Our job is not to hide what God has given to us,  but to shines through the cracks of our brokenness, bringing healing and hope to all. We are the light of the world. The light we possess is the Christ within us all.

Christ is the power of God’s love that breaks through the darkness. And allows others to see their inherent worth in God’s heart. St. John of the Cross reminds us, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone. It is love that transforms us and others into vessels of divine light."

To walk in the light, is to walk in love that sees the goodness of Christ in others.

Think of the word, Namaste – the Hindu greeting that’s become a part of our vernacular these days.

It means “I greet the holy one in you.” To greet someone this way is to acknowledge the fullness of God in the goodness of every soul. It says, I unite my divine light with your light.

While so many of us love to say namaste, I’m afraid we don’t practice it very well. I think most of the political and social problems we’re having stem from our inability to recognize the divine light in each another.

This not only causes division among us, but it stops us from really understanding God and ourselves.

The Persian poet Hafiz wrote, “Look upon yourself more as God does, for He knows your true royal nature.” This takes us back to that first question of what if we could actually see the divine light in ourselves and others as God does.

That would be powerful to the healing and restoration of our communities and the world at large, don’t you think? The deepest part of us is always connected with God and when we tap into that source, we become the divine power that can heal and transform the world.

This is exactly what Jesus did when approached by a man possessed with a legion of demons. He looked beyond this man’s darkness to his divine light. By uniting his light with the man’s, healing and transformation happened. All that is good, right, and true became whole again.

Jesus did the same when he embraced the leper. And forgave the woman caught in adultery. In fact, this is what Jesus did with everyone he met. He said “Namaste. I see your light and give you mine.”

But like Chesterton pointed out, instead of being united by our divine nature we waste our time measuring ourselves against one another.

We allow the world’s judgment to snuff out or diminish our light, instead of letting God’s radiant love to shine through us.

Jesus says, “Let your light shine so others can see your good works and give God glory.” We are called to be children of the light —which exposes the darkness and reveals all that is good, right, and true.

This is our divine birthright. Our purpose in life. This is our calling. And how we actually love God, love others, and serve both. So, let’s be who we were made to be—beacons of love. Created in the image of God.

As we continue to build a community of love, we have a choice. We can be people who amplify the light in others. Or we can be people who dim it. We can call out love, justice, and mercy. Or we can choose bitterness, resentment, and fear. One of those choices leads to life. The other? Darkness.

Again, Barbara Brown Taylor writes, "The light that comes from God does not cast shadows. It calls us to step out of the darkness, to see one another as we are, to see each person as beloved, as worthy of God’s care, as a vessel for God’s light to shine through."

You are God’s beloved. You are the light of the world. You were made to shine reflecting God’s light in the purest form, like the star that you are. So shine on you crazy diamond. Shine on.


Work Cited:
Cohen, Leonard. Anthem, track 5 on The Future, Columbia Records, 1992.
John of the Cross, Sayings of Light and Love, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1991), Saying 64.
Taylor, Barbara Brown. Learning to Walk in the Dark. New York: HarperOne, 2014.