This Little Light of Mine

Remember when you were young and you sang, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine?" Back then singing "little" made sense because well, I was literally "little."

The music group, Addison Road, has a remake of this song out right now that I really enjoy and love worshipping with. And I've taken on an entirely different perspective of the song. The words are simple yet powerful. They always have been, but I now realize just how much so. Here are some of the lyrics...

There's a little flame inside us all
Some shine bright, some shine small
The rains will come and the waters rise
But don't you ever lose your light

In this life you will know
Love and pain, joy and sorrow
So when it hurts, when times get hard
Don't forget whose child you are

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

There will be days when you want to give up
When the clouds settle in
But after the rain comes the sun
Don't you ever forget

One day there will be no more pain
And we will finally see Jesus' face
So until then I'm gonna try
To brave the dark and let my little light shine

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

There's a little light inside us all.

Once we've surrendered our lives to Jesus and chosen to follow him, we have his light in us. YOU are the salt of the earth, the light of the world (Matt 5:13-14). You are his representation here on earth. He needs you to keep shining the light he's put inside of you. Remember that you are the light in this world. You may be the only light people ever experience. You may be the light that leads to someone's salvation.

It's easy to forget though. It's easy to lose yourself in a bad day. On those days, it's hard to smile. It's hard to show love to others. I want a pity party on those days. But what helps me get out of my slump is remembering who I am - I AM God's child. I AM the light of the world. I can't stay down when God needs me to shine.

Pastor Steven Furtick gave a powerful message on purpose a few weeks ago and in it he said, "When you know who you are, you know what to do." When you know you are Jesus' light, you know what to do. You shine.