God's Light: A Scientific Analogy For Expressing Our Full Selves

By Lisa Nielsen, Trinity United Methodist Church

God wants us to be whole – whole with him in our lives, and whole within ourselves, which we consider as his love that shines through us. We are called to be the Light of God in our beliefs and in our actions, which include all aspects of individuality: personality, interests, work, relationships, and more.
To understand the significance of light in an unconventional way, here are scientific facts to consider:

• “Light” actually comes in many different types, from the colors of the rainbow (“visible light”) to the microwaves that heat our food and the radio waves that send messages across the world.
• The differences in each type of light stem from their energies. For example, purple light is more energetic than green light.
• All light is in motion – it is always going somewhere. The sunshine coming in from the window took approximately 8 minutes and 30 seconds to reach us from the sun.
• Light is not done when it hits our surroundings – it’s reflection off of things contributes greatly to our vision.

With this knowledge, consider the parallels between your identities and God-given gifts and light. We are all dynamic beings – our light from God does not come in one single type; sometimes our love of Christ is visible for the world to see like the colors of the rainbow, while other times our good deeds and prayers are unseen, but work all the same to reach others and absorb the love of God. Both low-energy and high-energy light is needed to carry out God’s work and make whole our insecurities and hidden parts of ourselves.
What are the rays of light of your identity that you may be needing to shine with the light of Christ?