Do You Let Your Light Shine?

Margaret Silf has the gift of not only seeing signs of God’s presence wherever she looks, but also of helping me to see those signs, too. With this account of her trip to the top of the Empire State building, she’s helped me recognize the brightness that exists in this world because of the simple goodness of ordinary people.

People in ministry are sometimes fortunate to see the best in people. It seems paradoxical but for some people, going through the worst of times can actually bring out the best in them. You may have experienced this in your work—the family who loses a young child finds the strength of faith to comfort others, or the people in difficult financial straits are surprisingly generous with their own time, talent, and limited treasure. They let the light of Christ shine through them, right where they live.

When you witness such brightness, let it comfort you and encourage you to let the light of Christ shine in your own life and work. We know we will encounter dark clouds of self-doubt, fear, animosity, and sometimes even outright mean spiritedness. But the darkness doesn’t have to overtake us. We just have to let the Light of Christ, which was given to us at our Baptism, light our way no matter how the darkness closes in.