This lighting of the world that we’re to be part of is not just for the benefit of those living in the darkness. Let your light shine for other sons and daughters of the Father.

The children of God need to know each other. They need to encourage and strengthen those who walk the same path. They need to shine the light when the darkness sometimes seems too heavy.

I’m not talking about sermonizing or judging and condemning and “setting someone straight”. There’s too much of that already. We can never know each other’s hearts and journeys if we’re too busy preaching and judging and being self-righteous.

Instead, we must hold someone’s hand when his path is suddenly dark. Share our own journeys. Tell what God has done in our own lives to save us from darkness.

And then we must also let others know about the joyous victories and miracles. Recount God’s work and wonders. Celebrate together the work of the Spirit in Christ’s church. Share what we have seen of God’s presence on this earth.

I confess, both of these are difficult for me. I’m an introvert. Private. It’s hard to open my mouth and share things that affect me deeply.

Yet at the same time, these are the folks who have been the greatest light for me—those who are willing to talk with me about their own dark times and their times of great light, when they have seen God’s hand in their lives. Those people are beacons, lights set on candlesticks.

We are to be lights in this world, and that includes lights to each other.

Kevin Troyer is hiking the Appalachian Trail with his wife Carolyn and 12-year-old son Dylan. They sold their “stuff” and left another life behind to see where God might lead on a new path. This is from their trail journal, and the imagery has stayed with me for weeks. With Kevin’s permission, I’m sharing it here with you. —

I was reminded on Easter Evening of something I thought I would share with you. I stood on a rock on top of Trey Mountain, watching the dusk and mist roll over the mountains. As I watched, it seemed to me that we were the only humans for the miles and miles that I could see.

Suddenly in the distance out of the mist, a single light appeared, at first just one then another and another. I sat amazed, as what had looked like an isolated forest, became a friendly galaxy of winking lights. There were other humans out there. It reminded me how important it is to let my light shine so that some other lonely soul can see it and know that they are also not alone.

The Father does not intend for his children to feel like “lonely souls” here on this earth.

Yet there are those who sit in our churches every Sunday with a terrible loneliness. May our lights shine for each other, too, so we remember that we are not alone.

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The Troyers’ trail journal can be followed at http://www.trailjournals.com/x3