“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” 

The words of this children’s gospel song, written in 1920 by Avis Burgeson Christiansen, are simple and their message far reaching. What child hasn’t sung it? What adult doesn’t remember it?

But the more important question: do we hold true to its mission?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16, KJV

Color My World

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” 

John 12:35-36, NIV

In 1961, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color premiered on television. Founder and creative genius Walt Disney opened the color broadcast with these words: “The world we live in would look pretty dull if Mother Nature used a black and white palette and painted only in shades of gray.” But while some viewers watched the show in Technicolor, our home—along with a majority of others—continued to watch in black and white. Though color was available, we remained locked in worlds of gray.

I was surprised to learn from a website about blindness that some who are blind, if given the opportunity to see, wouldn’t trade their worlds of darkness for a world of sight.

One man stated, “I’ve been blind since birth, and I can honestly say that the thought of suddenly getting the vision I’ve never had would scare me to death. I don’t know if I could make the adjustment. I’m secure in my blindness.”

Another said, “If I could have surgery that would give me sight, I wouldn’t do it. I’m happy with me and who I am. As a totally blind person, I function well. I just wouldn’t want to start over.”

For these individuals, the fear of change is greater than the fear of darkness.

Those of us who can see find it hard to comprehend how anyone could acclimate themselves to a world of darkness, but in reality, we have. We’ve conditioned our minds, hardened our hearts, and closed our eyes to the moral decay of our society. Sin that once shocked us now mocks us. Actions once forbidden now strut unhidden. Laws once protected now are rejected―masked in a smokescreen of tolerance and inclusion.

As today’s text reveals, two days before His death on the cross, Jesus warned of the peril that would befall those who chose to walk in darkness. Rejecting Him and the light of His Word would result in spiritual blindness and death. It was a harsh truth then and remains a harsh truth now.

However, in Christ’s love and mercy, He followed His solemn warning with liberating words of hope for us all. The Light of the World is still with us and is available for all of humanity. By believing in Jesus, we can all become children of light. No one needs to remain locked in a world of gray.

Don’t permit your fear of change to be greater than your fear of darkness. Color your world with light and rejoice in this truth: The darker the night, the brighter the children of light.

Let it shine!

Starr