Do you ever have moments when you feel that God is REALLY trying to get your attention? Whenever I see LIGHT reflecting on WATER, I am always literally stopped in my tracks, totally DAZZLED by the sight of those “diamonds,” glinting in the sunlight…
The opening measures of John Rutter’s magnificent anthem “Arise, Shine….” play in my head — “Arise! Shine! For your light has come ! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.“ (click here to listen)
This may sound like somewhat a Cecil B. DeMille “Hollywood” moment — But — the sight of that radiance NEVER fails to move me … with gratitude for God’s Great Light shining in my life — to thinking about what MY “light” is? — and consequently to — what should I be doing with it? “Light???” — you may say ….. “Do I have a light?” OF COURSE YOU DO!! Everyone has beautiful light to shine, reflecting the God within each of us out to the world in our own unique ways. The challenge is to acknowledge it — to own it — and to BECOME that light in all we do. EVERY light is needed and all our Lights together will make humanity SHINE; together we will make the Earth GLOW!
Marianne Williamson, author, spiritual leader and political activist penned one of the most powerful statements ever written. Though consistently attributed to Nelson Mandela, she wrote the following in 1992, in her book entitled A RETURN TO LOVE.
Do yourself a favor and read it aloud — right now — so you can hear these words: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate…
our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be?
You are a child of God. You’re playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.“
Read it. Read it again. Believe it.
I close with a beautiful blessing for you from Ingrid Goff-Madoff:
May the day wrap you in its beauty
May you know in your bones how beloved you are
May nothing ever dim your inner Light.
♥️ AMEN ♥️