“Shine brightly thy inner light.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Jesus speaking in Matthew 5:16

I’m going to pay for this – burning the midnight oil so to speak.  I woke shortly after lying down for bed last night, and just like so many times before, the inspiration of an idea keeps the mind from resting.  I’m positive that around midday, a nap will be inevitable 🙂

Isn’t funny how our physical bodies seem to demand our compliance to care for them.  When we fail to get enough sleep, we feel the effects of weariness and exhaustion.  Too much junk food and lack of nutrients and we feel the energy drain.  When we avoid physical activity, the lethargy sets in and when we tax our muscles too much, they seem to groan at us – begging us to stop.

Every one of us knows what it feels like to get good rest, to eat healthy, and care for our bodies in such a way that we FEEL the physical benefits.  All of us also know (unfortunately) what happens in the reverse – when we don’t get enough sleep, have a poor diet, and ignore exercise.  The body has a way of letting us know it needs attention.

The same can be said of our spirit and soul.  That invisible part of us, the part of us that truly defines who we are and why we are here, needs to be fed, nurtured and cared for.  Yet too often, we don’t equate or recognize the signs that our inner light is dimming, fading, and losing power.  That inner light is so important!  It penetrates the darkness within us – and if it’s bright enough – it lights the way for others.

The depression that overcomes us, well, must be a result of our circumstances.  Our hopelessness, well, must be driven by our bad luck or our inability to catch a good break every now and then.  Our poor attitudes and demeanor, well, they are just the byproduct of insensitive spouses, demanding employers, and uncaring friends.

But they are not….

Just like the physical signs of a  growling stomach, a sleepy eye, or an aching muscle, we need to see the depression, the hopelessness, and the negative thoughts as signals that our inner light needs to be rekindled, reignited, and reenergized.

Do you see this in yourself?  Do you see the negative behaviors, the disparaging thoughts, and the discouraging mindset as tangible clues, telling you to care for your soul – to strengthen your inner light?

Too often, like I mentioned earlier, I’ve blamed these things on what is happening to me on the outside – the external forces that are a part of this dark world we live in.  I’ve neglected to connect them to a fading inner light – one I need to actively feed, nurture and care for in order to cut through the darkness.

Just as you physically eat, sleep, and exercise each day – how are you spiritually attending to the health of your inner light?  It too needs daily care!

For me, it is fed by connecting with nature – getting away from the man-made world and into the natural one – spoken into existence by the Creator himself.  It is taking quiet time each day to meditate on the deeper meaning of things – those things that transcend the temporal and overlap with the eternal.  It’s reading the Scriptures, the Tao Te Ching, or listening to teachings that nurture the soul.  It’s taking time to pray about what is happening in my life, the lives of my friends and loved ones – knowing that supernatural sovereignty has the power to change the impossible.  It’s hanging around people who have a glowing, illuminating inner light within them – feeding off that light that shines from within them.

Just like I know when I’ve eaten right and gotten enough rest, I can feel the effects of recharging my inner light.  I see things differently, respond to trials and hardships more favorably, and even begin to share my inner light with others – helping them to cut through the darkness.

I’m ashamed and embarrassed to say that too often through my words and actions, I’ve figuratively taken a bucket of water and doused that inner light in others.  When I didn’t take the time to rekindle my own inner light, I let my depression, my negativity, and my hopelessness cast a dark shadow over their light – extinguishing it instead of igniting it.

I’ve been so positively affected by the inner light of others!  I have seen it shining so brightly in the eyes of those I deeply love and cherish.  Like a struck match or a flaming torch, their words of wisdom, love and encouragement have revived the inner light in me.  They have made an indescribable difference in my life – one I will never forget.

My prayer today is that we all begin to recognize the signals and signs that tell us we are neglecting to feed and nurture our inner light.  Just like being physically tired and hungry, I hope we connect negativity, depression and hopelessness to symptoms of a dwindling soul that needs to be cared for and awakened.

I pray that we begin to take definitive, tangible steps each day – setting aside the necessary time to reenergize and recharge the light within us – seeing it as vital to our existence as food, shelter, and rest.

If we do, not only will we change the quality of our own life, we will help others cut through the darkness that permeates their lives – relighting the way for us all 🙂

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.”  – Mary Anne Radmacher

“No degree of worldly darkness can extinguish the glow of a soul’s inner light.” – Wes Fesler