Let the Light Within You Shine

Dear Trinity Family,

I know some of you are waiting on God right now. There’s something in your life that seems intractable and you need a miracle. But what if God is already empowering you to do the thing that seems impossible? 

What if that gift is already inside you? 

There’s a divine light within that’s only yours to shine — for the good of the world. And I believe God put it there for such a time as this. You might have been given the unique ability to open that door, to build that bridge, or to make a way where there isn’t one. 

It might be that God is waiting on you. 

For some, that gift has been hiding in plain sight, so entrenched in the ordinariness of life you’ve yet to notice it. It might be the needed voice you can bring to your community board, the time you have to give to your local library or food pantry, or even what you offer Trinity simply by showing up and being part of our parish.

For others, the gift will bring you outside of what’s familiar. It’s a call to someplace you’ve never been, to people you’ve never met — a new city, a new vocation, or a new beginning. It’s that readjustment, big or small, that will make everything else fall into place. In letting go of life as you know it, you’ll discover the life God has for you in serving and loving others.

You’ve got to do some searching to find your gift. Make no mistake: It’s already there, innately inside of you. But you’ve got to really ponder it. Truly embracing your gift includes an element of risk. You must ask yourself, “Do I have the courage to make this count?”

Once you uncover your divine light, you’ll begin to notice it shining from every person you encounter. The illusions of division will fade away in the brightness emanating all around you. The mystic Thomas Merton describes it as “waking from a dream of separateness.” You’ll start to see the deepest truth: that all of us are one.

As we wrap up our program year, I’m offering you this summer homework: Reflect on the gift God has given you. And when you’re ready, which might be before you feel ready, make it count. 

Have courage. Let the light within you shine.

Blessings,

Phil

The Rev. Phillip A. Jackson
Rector, Trinity Church