photo of lightning bugs in the Great Smoky Mountains
As I was leaving Shangri La Ti Da one evening, it was just at
the time that the lighting bugs begin to rise and I was inspired.
From a safe, relatively safe, and known position on the
ground, the lightning bugs rise into the dark sky. Tiny fliers in the vast and descending
darkness.
Not only do they rise, but
they rise and shine their light, their light just big enough to illumine a
small sphere around them, for as long as they can. They don’t drop back to the ground when their
light goes out, but continue to fly and wait to be recharged to shine again and
again and again. Each of them lights the
area where they are, just that area.
That sphere of influence.
They
shine because it is what they were made to do.
They shine even though it is a beacon to what may swoop down on them
from the darkness (like small children with jars or bats hungry). They shine until the light of sun comes
anew.
Courageous little lightning bugs.
We, too, are made to shine in the darkness until the Son
comes anew.
Are we that courageous?
4 comments:
Is that your photograph? I"ve never photographed fireflies. Just caught them in jars, and watched them in wonder. They are one of the rare treats - something that one of the Lord's most lovable and whimsical engineers came up with, anticipating children and poetry and girls who would someday sigh happily in the evening. The metaphor is beautiful. And that is exactly what we do - each fly is beautiful in its tiny shiny sphere. I laugh to think of some firefly, fat and swollen with its pride and importance and how grotesque it would see, bulging along among the tiny dancing lights. There is charm to having a small job, one just your size, and screwing your eyes up very tightly and squeezing light out of every pore. Yes, this thought has made me happy.
No, I didn't take the photo, but didn't know how to credit it. It was on a Best Western Hotel ad for the Great Smoky Mountains....
That is exactly what I want to do...shine in my space...squeezing light out of every pore! yes!
Let's do it!
Happy.
I love your post, Donna. So much wisdom. I agree... the best thing we can do is shine out all the light we can and fly on!
I LOVE lightening bugs! They always remind me of happy summer days. blessings ~ tanna
You are one of the shiniest people I know, Miss Tanna! Love, d.
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