I Believe in Light

I believe that Jesus Christ is the light of the world! John 8:12 says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

During my undergraduate career at the University of Louisville, I had the privilege of working for Lowe’s Store #2542 of Clarksville, IN. I say this was a privilege because I worked for one of the best stores an employee of Lowe’s could work for. We weren’t the biggest store, we didn’t have the most sales in our district, nor did we have managers that made us jump for joy every time we saw them, except for a select few. What I love most about this store is the people I was so blessed to work with, my former co-workers and some of the best friends I’ve ever made. We were a unique store in this respect: we worked together. You know the slogan, “Let’s Build Something Together?” Yeah? That was us! We, for the most part, worked very well together, and this will sound pretty corny, but we were a family in every sense of the word. The best part is that with these wonderful people, I was able to be 100% myself, open and honest with who I am, and I am a child of God, a light in this dark world.

As with any workplace, there are some things that happen you may not agree with and working for a major corporation can drag you down pretty low with their made-up policies and what have you. And with our store, because we were so close, everyone tended to be brought down together. But because I was able to be myself, I, while everyone else was sulking about whatever corporate was changing or wouldn’t fix, had a huge, goofy smile on my face every time I saw someone and started talking to them. I genuinely liked seeing the people I worked with and talking to them, encouraging them in their struggles and sharing my happiness that can only come from Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7). It brings me so much joy to be there for people and show others that in times of struggle, happiness can still be found! People noticed my happiness, and I became known on the Front End as “Sunshine”, or as my former manager Erin likes to spell it “SONshine”, because I was a light in those dark times at our store in the name of Jesus (John 1:5). I’m a fan of vine and a guy on there I follow, Kyle C., put up a six second video describing exactly how I am saying (in the best cowboy southern accent you can imagine), “People always ask me, ‘Kyle, why you always smilin’.’ And I say, ‘This old thing? That’s just a little bit of Jesus on my face.’” And that’s exactly how I was at work!

And here’s the kicker, I don’t let my light shine solely at Store 2542. I’m this way all the time!! It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the little things and let them get you down, but for me, I know I have my Lord and Savior who will lead me through whatever storm in life I’m facing that has me shaking, nervous, and sometimes downright scared. But I try with all my might to not let that get to me. Sometimes days are just hard and I will throw myself a little pity party that’ll never get me anywhere. But with Jesus, I have absolutely no reason to be upset at anything. This isn’t always easy to see, but it’s true! And I know this because that’s exactly who I am everyday of my life! Jesus calls us to be the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16), and that is my calling in this life I’ve been so graciously blessed with, to be His light. And I don’t ever plan on letting that light go out!

For those reading this that know Jesus, don’t ever be afraid to be who God made you to be! Be a light to this world as Jesus calls you and don’t be ashamed of it! Let the light of the Lord shine in your life to its full glory! There’s a plethora of verses encouraging the spread of God’s light in the world (2 Corinthians 4:6, Matthew 4:16, Isaiah 42:16, John 9:5). To those reading this that don’t know Jesus, I pray that someday you find the same joy and light that I feel and countless other followers of Christ feel. There is nothing better in this world that can make you feel the way I feel as a light for Jesus in this dark world. This happiness I feel isn’t only for me. Jesus can give it to anyone and everyone, you need only to ask Him for it!

I finish on this note Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…” (Ephesians 5:8).