Living light, giving light

My department was scheduled to move to a different office space when a number of people were going to be on vacation. So while everyone was still around, we went to see the new location - one of the first things we all noticed, was that our new office space was not as bright as our previous one.

It was then funny to realise that the office also had motion-detector lights - i.e. when there was no activity in a place, the lights automatically go off; one way of supporting the energy conservation you'd say - not that I disagree. However, needless to say it is rather annoying.

Well, you cannot begin to imagine how annoying it is until you're the only one in the office.

One of such days when it was just me in the office, I suddenly felt a strain in my eyes...well, why not, the whole wing was darkened because I hadn't moved in a while - I was concentrating on my work. It happened several times so that became my cue to stand and stretch at least - move to get light.

By day 2, while sitting at my desk, it just occurred to me that I was "missing" my colleagues - at least for the fact that they would have contributed to the light in the office.

Then, as usual, I heard a question in my heart: "how much light do you contribute to the people you are around?" In other words, do I light up places I go to, add to the darkness or have a neutral or even a negligible effect? Now that's more food for thought than one person can handle - so I decided to share with us all.

As lights that God expects us to be, we must realise that:

Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished.

~Michael Strassfeld

We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.

~Ben Sweetland

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

~Chinese Proverb

Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.

~Norman B. Rice

May God help all of us as we are (or become) living lights...giving light whereever we are/go.