Article May 15, 2017 Issue

‘Let your light so shine’: Be a transparency for Truth

Neil Kearney

The idea of light is used throughout the Bible to describe God’s ever-present goodness and our expression of that goodness. Christ Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world,” and, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, we learn that God is good; God is Love; God is all-powerful; and God is All-in-all. We also learn that at all times we are God’s manifestation and reflection. That is true because God, our source of being, is always shining brightly, and as His manifestation, we can’t help but be the reflection of that light.

So why does it sometimes feel to us in this human experience as if the light of God’s goodness is dim and far away? A realization I had at a play I recently attended helped clarify this for me. While watching the play, I noticed how the spotlight, which in its normal use brought light and attention to the action, was being used in different ways to enhance the production. For instance, if the scene being portrayed was set at night, the operator would attach a colored filter to the front of the spotlight. This would change the normally bright white light into a cool shade of blue. At another point in the production a red filter was inserted to enhance the scene with the warm red color of a sunset.

The light of God, divine Truth, is unchanging and shines brightly.