I woke up early—before daylight. Coffee in hand, I settled on my sunporch for my morning devotion time. I was headed later to a 10 a.m. appointment to have a tiny device called a reflector inserted in my body to prepare for surgery. Called Scout, it is miniscule—about the size of a grain of rice. Like a little radio, it emits radar waves to guide the surgeon to just the right spot.

“Thank you, Lord, for modern technology,” I prayed.

I wondered to myself if I would glow in the dark. (Of course, I knew I wouldn’t because it is not radioactive. It was just a silly early morning thought.) Smiling to myself and settling into reading the Word, I imagined what I would look like if I lit up like a glow ring.

The sky to the east began to shine.  Morning had broken. The sky was bright with pinks and oranges. The lake glowed. I could see the ducks in the distance waking up for breakfast. The Lord had turned on the light for a new day! A marvelous, beautiful, fall day.

I kept that image in my mind as I entered the radiologist’s office. I knew the doctor and the ultrasound technician from my previous biopsy. There was a third woman in the room who introduced herself as the manager of the unit. I’ll call her Kim. We prayed together, and they began the procedure. Thirty minutes later, they were finished.

As I prepared to leave, Kim escorted me out. Then quite unexpectedly she turned and asked, “Could I pray for you on Monday during your surgery?” “Of course,” I said. “Of course!” My new “sister,” a total stranger, would pray for me. What a blessing!

The reality of the moment sent me back to my early morning musings. Reflectors—that’s what we’re supposed to be–“reflectors of God’s love.” He wants us to “glow in the dark.”

The scriptures tell us:

 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14 NLT)

 “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” (Philippians 2:15 NLT)

Kim and the other medical professionals who served me ministered to my physical needs, but they also met my spiritual needs.

They knew the real Light of the World and reflected his love on me:

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT)

Though I may not literally glow in the dark, I pray that the Lord can shine his light on a dark and dreary world through me. I want to be “Kim” to hurting people who pass my way.

Challenge: What about you? Do you “glow in the dark?” If so, thank you for brightening the lives of others. If you don’t know the Light of the World, I pray you will seek Him. Your life will never be the same!

Jehovah Rapha, thank you for enabling your people to “turn on the light” as we walk through this dark world. May we be faithful to share your light with others in darkness.