A Light That Shines

"A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside."

Perhaps it is just as easy as that.

Many of the things in our lives are for the most part simple in their complexity. Sort of a paradoxical statement in itself. Nevertheless, out of some weird sense that fuels and drives us to make life far harder than it needs to be, we make the most simple things horrendously complex.

We tend to live in a world that can be and is at times very dark. Rarely a day goes by without news clips of some tragedy. Whether it be two countries that are in deadly conflict or some violent act that rocks a nation. It's not very often that you see a "feel good" story on the evening news.

What happens, though when you do see that ”feel good" story. Doesn’t it shine a light through the darkness of the day? Kind of softens the rough edges of the past challenging eight hours. For me and I suspect the same for others as well, it makes you think that for just an instance that there might be just a tiny sliver of good in the world?

How does the quote "a smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside", a dark world and feel good stories all fit together? Well, they do.

If we think about lighthouses, like the ones found along the coasts and shorelines throughout the world, they’re beacons built to warn sailors of dangerous reefs and rocky sea-coasts, and also to guide ships and boats safely into harbours. From their first appearance and still today, lighthouses continue to be a symbol of hope, safety and refuge.

A pretty simple concept if you think about it. A light shining in the darkness that brings hope and reassurance that safety is near or as a warning that trouble or a rocky coastline is close by.

That statement could be applied exactly to our lives as we speak.

As much as sailors and sea-going folk rely on the "beacon of hope" that lighthouses provide, each one of us needs a "beacon of hope - a light that shines" in our lives as well. The light that shines down doesn't need to be much, but just enough to illuminate the way to a safe or safer harbour.

All of this makes perfect sense, but one question that might come up is, "where or who does this light emanate from?

The answer is pretty simple. Why search for a complex solution when the solution stares back at us in the mirror. The answer is you and me.

Remember the quote "a smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside."

As much as we may need at times to see that light shining in the distance to help us through a difficult and rocky time, we can also be "beacons of light and hope" to those around us. And the funny thing is, it doesn't take much for your light to shine; to be a beacon of hope in the life of others.

All of us have that light in our hearts to be a beacon of hope to someone else.

However.....

But, don't we often feel we're just way too busy. Too damn busy for anything more, let alone "to shine a light." Work, home life, activities and commitments don't leave any time for anything. All we want to do is just simply get home; lock the door, and just deal with our own stuff. And furthermore, I don't see any light shining on "my little part of the world. Why should I shine on someone else?"

That may be certainly true and there may be a host of reasons why you may feel there is "no light shining on your little part of the world."

If that's how you feel, I'm not sure anything I or others say is going to make much of a difference. Your right, we're all busy and at times we all just simply want to get home; lock the door and keep the world outside our castle walls.

But, on the other hand, what might the day of someone else be like, if during the course of our day we tried a few simple things to shine a light in the darkness?

Simple Things to Shine a Light on Others

• Tell a stranger to have a good day
• Let someone into traffic when you're waiting at a stop light
• Give someone a shoulder to cry on
• Be present—in every situation—listen
• Support someone in any way you can

We may think of this "being a light that shines" as something that is a huge commitment to make and that there is NOOOOO way doing or being that could ever fit into our hectic and "busy-work" existence. How many of us have fallen into that trap of thinking or assuming that this "being a light that shines" deal is something almost beyond reach for the common person?

Merriam Webster dictionary defines a beacon "as a source of light or inspiration." That's a pretty heady or weighty tag to put on somebody if you ask me. Not sure any of us started out this morning to be "a source of light or inspiration.”

If you're trying to the light that shines for the entire world, I'm pretty sure that job has already been taken. Our task is not to shine on or fix the entire planet in one huge go at it.

Our light only needs to shine in that area of the world that is directly in front of us. The light we shine doesn't have to be big, it just needs to be light. Even a matchstick lit in a dark room will cast out some of the darkness.

Really, how freaking difficult is it to let someone into traffic in front of you or to tell the person who just served up your latte to "have a good day?"

Yup, a little bit of light shining in the right spot can make a world of difference.

Perhaps its time for you to shine your light, regardless of how bright it shines.