Shine!

 The light guided me more surely than the noonday sun to the place where He was waiting for me...

St John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul, David Lewis Translation

Do you want to be seen, noticed, recognized?  

I just watched season 23 of The Voice on a binge. I delightedly cheered on a shy and  timid vocalist as she won.  I love watching  talent competitions on TV,  shows where people come on to the stage and share a hidden  talent with the world. Many, before that televised audition,  only performed in their bedrooms and are now performing to millions. They suddenly get noticed and their special gift, that they may have even given up on,  is suddenly appreciated and valued. I find it so inspiring, addictively so, to watch these people shine in their God given talent...to break through their own mental barriers of limitation and self doubt , of fear;  to witness as they bust through the darkness of obscurity and "shine," so brightly like the "noonday sun" .  They give the world a gift they have been secretively holding onto  all of their lives. They touch us with the gift of their voices (or other talent) but also they touch a part of us that says, "You can do this too!  You can shine! " I think that is the lure of these shows...they pull us in with this deep rooted desire we all have to "shine". 

This little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine...

Shine?

 We all have some talent, some gift inside us.  Yes, we do! It may not be a voice or an ability to dance. It may be something so tiny and ordinary...but it, whatever it is,  is a special ember waiting to burst into a flame that lights up our lives and the lives of others around us. It will just smolder unseen, until we let it out.  It sometimes takes just one person noticing it to feed that tiny little light, to encourage it to grow beyond our fear.

A Spiritual Thing

I think the expression of this gift ...the offering it to the world...is a spiritual thing.  It is part of the reason, if there is a reason beyond simply being, why we are here.  We are lights meant to shine , helping each other  to experience and see clearly the beauty in this world. We are not meant to be lamps hidden under the bed.

A "Desire" Warning

Now., at the same time, I believe we have to be careful with our desire to be seen. Having our lights shine enough to make the beauty of this world clearer for others, to inspire and motivate... is one thing. Getting it to shine to feed the ego's never ending quest for external fulfillment is another. We have to be respectful of these little flames we carry inside us  and protect them  from ego. 

 When we desire to shine, I believe, we need to ask: What am I hoping to gain from this?  Is this a "me' motivated thing or just a desire to express what I have been given? Am I trying to set myself up and apart from others or am I bringing us all together? Am I rejoicing in the moments I am expressing, or am I too busy worrying about the outcome? Do I feel God in what I do? ( And God, of course, has different meanings for everyone.)

Obscurity...Not Such a Bad Thing

Hmm! I am realizing that obscurity, concealment, being unseen and unrecognized may be "my lot" in life, I am finding some peace in that, finally! Being "invisible" to others was always the most triggering  thing for my deep rooted pain...that and being noticed in the "wrong" way. So, All my life I tried to be seen and noticed in the "right way" just so this inner pain would not get triggered.  If I couldn't hide, I felt I had to create something out here to redeem myself with.  Someone, somewhere, once told me I could write...so I tried to have my writing read, so others would hear "me".   Someone, somewhere, once told me I could speak, so I stood up on stages and spoke, so others would see "me".  Someone, somewhere, once told me I could teach, so I stood  in front of crowds of people and taught, so others would be in awe of what "me" knew.  Sure a light went outward to others when I did those things...and sure Spirit was rejoicing in the expression...but too often it was ego that was fanning the flame...feeding this "me". "Me"  was was always more in the way of the light shining than anything else.  In fact, it kind of drowned out the light.

So, as I go through this dark night, looking for a light to guide me, I am learning that I can find that light in my heart, just as Saint John of the Cross, did. My writing, speaking and teaching...may be received by no more than a handful of others, and that is perfectly okay. Something in my heart is saying "write...no matter what..." and I listen.  Something says "speak and teach, no matter what!" and I listen. These things take me through the darkness. If I stay true to why I am doing what I am doing, this light will grow, guiding this form and mind , and possibly a few other forms and minds, to what is really important. 

Every little bit of glowing light that helps the world to see is a gift! I am going to protect my light from ego  but at the same time I am going to let it shine.

What about you? What are you going to do with your light?

All is well!