Shine on

Marianne Williamson says, "as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others."

If you have ever had someone come into your life who had no agenda other than to shine, you know Williamson's words are true. If you've ever had someone put aside all fear of the bad that lives in the world, while pouring into you the good that lives in them, you've experienced Williamson's words.

If you've experienced them, you didn't find yourself saying, "I want to be more like that person." Instead, you woke up one day and realized - without much thought - that you'd become more like that person.

That's encouraging to me. This idea that if I want to make the world a brighter place I don't have to figure out how to turn a thousand lights on. I simply need to embrace the freedom I have to keep mine on. Maybe Super 8 was on to something: we'll leave the light on for you.

There is hope in the idea that although we are all different light bulbs, we illuminate many bulbs when we live out the illumination of our own.

I wonder what stands in our way of that somedays - the world running around like a bunch of blazing white 250 watt light bulbs.

I think the biggest thing is we can get to believing our light will never be enough. It doesn't have enough watts. What difference will it make in the world?

I'll go back to what I wrote yesterday - and Steven Furtick's quote: "when we ask desert questions, we get dead end answers." The question isn't what difference will it make in the world. The better question is what difference will it make in me.

You see, I believe we all have a light living in us. We all have our own unique lights that are craving the chance to contribute to the greater light of the world. When we keep those lights buried within us, we live with angst - depression - feeling less than.

When for whatever reason we keep our lights buried within, WE feel buried within.

But when someone gives us permission to shine - we come alive. When someone comes into our life shining their light, they ignite ours. When we live alive, we add fuel to life.

It's a beautiful circle to imagine, isn't it? This circle of infectious lights.

Let's start the circle today. You all have beautiful lights within you. I don't need to know you to know it's true; we ALL have them. Let them shine today. When you walk out the door into the world this morning, don't turn the lights out - turn them on.

Turn them on and then watch the miracle - the miracle that happens when the people around you start feeling the permission to turn theirs on too.