This Little Light of Mine...

How do you let it shine? We ask our students to "Be a Light to Others," but what does that really mean? Here is a scientific explanation of how light can pass through objects:

It can be transparent (pass right through):

It can be translucent (allowing some light to pass through):

Or it can be opaque (allowing no light to pass through):

Imagine that we are the cups in the photos and God is the flashlight. Do we allow God's word to flow directly through us? Do we take in God's word and only reflect what we want? Or, worse, do let sin darken our "glass" so much that God's message cannot be seen at all? 

When we ask our students to be a light to others we are not actually asking them to be any of these. Instead, we are asking them to take in God's word, interact with it, and create something beautiful.  Think of the way light interacts with a prism or crystal:

In this picture the flashlight clearly interacts with the crystal causing its shape to be transformed and into a ball of light that even casts off some rainbow spirals.  By opening up to God's voice and asking for his presence in our lives, we can cast a beautiful light that will help others come to know God better.