Be an EVER-READY Light!

It’s Thursday morning and I’m at my volunteer post in Radiology at Children’s Hospital. It’s a good day. The “little” patients are tolerating their pain until their x-ray is over with. I say to the younger ones “Let’s go get your picture taken. Be sure to smile really big!” To the school age kids, I say “Ready to go to Star Wars’ Launch Station?” That’s what I think of when I go into the room. This humongous arm of white steel with the grand camera ready to take off! Not to mention the 3-D X-Ray technology in another area.

I go back to my station and enters the “EVER-READY bright light” of Raz (aka Erasmo) – from our Engineering Department. He’s a bright light because he’s always beaming from ear to ear with a smile that brightens everyone’s day. He has his ear plugs in, as usual, but takes one out to visit with me. I say, “So are you listening to Christmas music?” He shows me his phone – it’s playing Johnny Matthis’ “Sleigh Ride”. A mom in the waiting room hears us talking and says, “I love Christmas music, too” and one of our cast technicians comes out of her room declaring her love for Christmas music, too.

Maybe you’re thinking these folks are in denial that Christmas is over. Oh, no – that’s not the case. Raz listens to Christmas music all year round. He says it’s always a happy day when he’s listening to Christmas music. Something else Raz and I have in common is we speak the same language. We talk about the goodness of God and how grateful we are to have Him in our lives.

I remember an old song written in 1913 by Ina Ogdon. Here I go again – referencing another song. These were the words:

“Brighten the corner where you are!
Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor "you" may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
Do not wait to shed your light afar,
To the many duties ever near you now be true,
Brighten the corner where you are.”

The point of that old song is to be a light that brightens someone’s day and even might brighten their life with love, hope and joy that saves them from giving up.

Sometimes we hear people say: “I’m not good enough.” “What difference can one person make?” The funny thing is, I’ve been in the dark when there was an electrical storm and I couldn’t find the lighter to light my candles without my Eveready flashlight. We all can be that Eveready flashlight to those around us who can’t find their way. We ARE qualified to be LIGHT-bearers. There is so much darkness in this world – that when a HIGH BEAMER, like Raz, enters the room – darkness flees.

Here’s the Gospel truth: We each have a unique mission which God has prepared for each one of us. Maybe the mission is to share God’s good news in not just our talk – but our walk (St. Francis said “Preach the Gospel and all times and sometimes use words). Or maybe it’s to help one little child get a drink of water. And perhaps, that child will grow up and be that one that will change the world by their EVER-READY light.

If you’re tempted to sell yourself short, remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:14. “YOU are the light of the world. People do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. The purpose of any light is to shine in the darkness. Even the tiniest light can pierce through the darkest darkness.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for choosing us to serve you. Let us be instruments in your hand so that we brighten the corner where we are and impact our neighbors’ lives for your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen!

Brighten the Corner Where You Are

Yesterday, at a beautiful Fall Retreat with 28 precious women, a scripture contained in a "love letter" from God to us, resonated with me: "You are a child of the light and a child of the day. You do not belong to the night or to the darkness." 1 Thessalonians 5:5. Literally, a light came on in my noggin as I read that -- a solar light, that is.

My mind drifted to the solar light (see photo here) that I have that is really very cool -- but only if it's left outside in the sunlight so that it draws in the light to make it work. Not being a science buff, I really didn't ponder how it worked before yesterday at that retreat, and then even more so, once I got home. (I love the ability to search for answers on the internet). I knew I a blog was coming about solar light.

Many years ago, the thought of powering lights by harnessing the power of the Sun sounded like science fiction. Today, though, you can see solar panels on the rooftops of buildings and houses, as well as street lights in some cities. If you have a garden or landscaping at home, you might even have solar-powered lights guiding your path at night.

Solar lights work because of the solar cell. The fact is, the most important part of a solar light is the solar cell. The solar cell is the part that converts sunlight into direct electrical current. You can clearly see the solar cell as a dark panel at the top of a solar light.

As sunlight passes through the solar cell, positively-charged spaces then transfer an electron stream as a direct current of electricity through wires embedded into the solar cell to a battery where the electricity is stored until it’s needed. The battery charges throughout the day as sunlight continues to be converted to electricity. (This makes me sound like Clifton Janey, right, Staci Wallace? Clifton was a brainy kid in Staci's elementary school days.)

This process repeats on a daily cycle. During the day, sunlight is converted to electricity and stored in the battery. At night, the battery supplies the electricity to the light until it is all used up or the photoreceptor shuts off the light as daylight reappears.

So......with all that scientific mumbo jumbo in mind.....just think about our Creator who had all that in mind before the beginning of time, but better than all that, in referring back to that scripture that explains how we, too, are SOLAR LIGHTS....but not from the SUN, The SON. When we purposefully stay close to THE LIGHT of Christ, our batteries will be so charged with His Light that we, too, will shine so brightly. Just look at how God planned that we should be SOLAR -- SON Lights. Luke 11:33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light."

If EVER, we need to stay close to THE LIGHT -- it is today. We ARE children of THE LIGHT....and we don't belong to the darkness. So that we continue to shine brightly to a very DARK world, may we make sure we are living close to God and His Word, and surely His LIGHT in us will penetrate the darkness around us! Our world might just be a little corner and we might wonder how can we affect our world. That sweet old song gives the answer...."Brighten the corner where you are....you just may be the safe harbor to carry them to a place of refuge,hope and peace -- that is so needed in our world!"