Light In, Light Out (guest post by Isabella Daou)

(Note: Today's blog post is written by Isabella Daou from the blog Inhuman Passion! Isabella is a wonderful blogger who writes about the Christian walk, and I'd highly recommend her articles. They're very encouraging to read.)


We all know that to survive, we need to eat. 

We need energy from calories to perform tasks. And food has calories, so we eat food to give us the energy we need. 

After eating, we use the calories we consumed to do something. Whether our body uses them to perform basic functions, uses them as fuel for exercise, or stores them as fat, those calories are used. We take energy in so we can put that energy out. 

In the same way that we get energy to perform basic functions from food, we get the energy to live for Christ by spending time with Him. 

Food has calories. So when we take in food, we take in calories and nutrients, and our body then has those calories and nutrients in it. Jesus is the source of light. So when we spend time with Jesus, our soul takes in light and has light in it. 

In John 8:12 (ESV), Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

Jesus also said that Christians have light in them. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Christians are the light of the world, but it is not our own light. It is light from Jesus, light that can only come from our being redeemed and His Spirit living in us. And the light we get from Jesus is meant to go somewhere. 

If we eat food (therefore taking in calories) but don’t use those calories, it can be unhealthy. The calories we consume are meant to be used for something. The light we take in from Jesus is also meant to be used for something. Jesus says that our light is supposed to be shared with others and therefore glorify God. 

Sadie Robertson’s book Live Fearless, which I recently read, uses plankton as an example of this concept. Plankton may seem useless, but they actually provide 50% of the oxygen we breathe and perform 90% of the ocean’s photosynthesis (Live Fearless, page 46-47). You see, plankton swim to the surface of the ocean to get light. They risk their lives in doing this. Then, they swim back down and provide oxygen from the light to organisms that could never get it otherwise. 

Sadie Robertson says of plankton, “That’s how they fulfill their great and glorious purpose, which is to provide energy, oxygen, and life through the power of the light they share--light they first had to receive themselves” (Live Fearless, page 48). 

She explains that in the same way plankton travel the surface of the ocean to receive light, which they use to make oxygen to bring to the rest of their underwater world, Christians are called to receive light from Jesus and share it with those around us. 

We take light in by spending time with Jesus and in the church. We give light out with our good deeds, kind words, and by sharing Jesus with the world. 

In short, we need to take in light so we can give out light. If we don’t eat food (and therefore take in calories), how are we supposed to burn those calories? We don’t burn them. Yes, we have some fat stored up, but eventually that fat will be used and run out. If we don’t first take in light in by spending time with Jesus, how would we be able to use that light and share it with others?

Are you taking in light? Christians can’t be the light of the world if we don’t spend time with the source of light. 

Are you giving out light? Just like the calories you take in while eating are meant to be used for something, the light we take in from spending time with Jesus is supposed to go somewhere. It’s supposed to be shared with others. 

I want to take in light from Jesus… and I want to let it shine.

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