The Light Shines Through

“The human spirit is[a] the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.”
- Proverbs 20:27

I like this passage from Proverbs because it’s a powerful reminder of our place in the world, and our call, but also for its dichotomy. We are amazing, yet frail and culpable humans who are entrusted to let God’s light shine through us, like a prism. Both tender and strong, passionate and frail, all wrapped up in a sometimes-malfunctioning body and spirit that God’s entrusted to us to care for.

It’s a deep thing to think about, that calling and that sort of power. And again, amazing. Until that is, you stub a toe and yell obscenities in front of your small child. God trusts us? Even me? Even though we clearly are not suited to step into such a role that certainly more responsible people, more adult people, could manage?

Hard to imagine too, that this human spirit, the one who wants nothing more than a bowl of ice cream one day and world peace the next, that through this faulty and yet holy body is one by which the light gets through. One by which, when we’re not carried away by some fleeting thought or emotion (or the latest episode of the Kardashians) is a powerful tool to help others see the light of Christ.

About ten years I had one of these sorts of experiences where I sensed I might be used one day as a lamp for the Lord, the light for which others might see Christ through. I know, it sounds very holy and uptight. The story itself is not that at all, and far from perfect. But this sort of spiritual gleaning that I went through was essentially a daily world of pain. I was in an emotionally dark place, and while crucial for my faith journey, certainly was something I never signed up for. If there was a sign-up sheet for this particular thing I went through, might have never signed it, or worse, set it on fire.

But, in a very weird way, I sensed the light on that experience. Though things around me (and seemingly in me) were dark at that time, I knew there could be some light that could shine through eventually, like a prism.

Then, as things go, one day someone sought me out. They had heard I went through this tough thing and asked several questions. But mostly: how did I make it through? How did I deal with it? It didn’t take long for me to realize that perhaps, this was the reason I went through all those things ten years ago. To bring me to this place of peace so the light of Christ can be refracted through my experience and me, and I could be in a way, a vehicle for Christ’s light and love.

And you know what? Since then, I’ve come to realize we’re all prisms, both grand and tired humans who try (and fail a lot.) And yet? Still entrusted with God’s light to share. A good reminder that stories of dark times may be a source of Christ’s light for others.

Liz Rasley

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