Because We Are The Light

…we are not afraid of the dark…

Every morning I sweep our hardwood floors, following the path of where we most go each day, and once a week I sweep the entire house.

I didn’t use to do that daily sweeping. Then one morning, I noticed what was in the light path that shone across the floor. It shocked me. I stepped in that every time I got out of bed?

Ugh. That started the daily sweeping, and I felt much better in my house because before, even though I might not have seen that dirt, it was still there, and I knew it.

Then, I gave myself the gift of a shark sweeper with a light in front of it. And that light, shining across the floor in the dark, showed even more of what I hadn’t seen before, and I did a better job of my daily sweeping, and the house felt even better.

Last month, the light revealed something else.

With a wood-burning stove and closed doors, winter had made our windows very dirty, but I hadn’t noticed. Then, one day, the sun shone across them and revealed what had accumulated. I could have ignored it. Instead, I cleaned the windows until the view was clear again.

What did I learn from this about light?

That shining a directed light reveals more of what has been hiding. True on my floor, on my windows, and true in life.

Sometimes I want to pretend that the dirt on my floor is not there. In the same way, I often want to pretend that the noise and ugliness in the world are not happening.

But it is happening, and it is there. Ignoring it and hoping someone else will do something about it will not make it go away.

The truth is—we are the light. When we live our light, it will reveal what is wrong so that something can be done about it. This should bring hope, not despair.

“Light is to darkness what love is to fear; in the presence of one the other disappears.” — Marianne Williamson.

Not every one of us is called to do something about darkness on a big scale, but we can each let ourselves be the concentrated light that shines on one thing, no matter how small, and then we can do something about it.

I used to walk to work in the early morning in downtown Los Angeles and would notice when a street light went out. At first, I ignored it, thinking someone else would call about it. Then I realized, since I saw it, I should call.

Yes, it took a bit of research to discover who could fix the light, but after that, I called every time, and the person on the other end would thank me for letting them know. It was a small act, but one that made a difference. It literally brought light.

Our small acts do bring light. And the good news is that when the times feel the darkest, a concentrated beam of light is potent.

Ignoring what isn’t right won’t make it go away. Shining a light on it may initially be shocking and disturbing, but it must be done to eliminate it.

But unlike dirt on the floor or film on the window where the solution is obvious, life solutions are often much more complicated.

We all have different views out the window, different ways of living our lives, maybe even different perceptions of right and wrong.

But what if all our choices come back to intent?

Disagreements with that intent in mind will reveal solutions that bring light to everyone. It sweeps up the dirt and cleans off the view.

As Eckhart Tolle said, “Instead of fighting the darkness, you bring in the light.”

Yes, the light will destroy the darkness, but first, we can’t be afraid of what the light will reveal.

Instead, we can be grateful that with the intent of kindness and unity, solutions will stand revealed.

“It doesn’t matter if a cave has been in darkness for 10,000 years or half an hour, once you light a match it is illuminated.”— Paramahansa Yogananda

Let’s light that match.