I’ve just started singing with my 1-year-old son every night before bed. When we walk into his room for bedtime, he points to his rocking chair and yells, ‘sing!’. And then he hands me a book titled Jesus Loves You that walks through that simple song.

After a couple nights of singing Jesus Loves You, we added on a couple more songs. And most recently, we started singing This Little Light of Mine.

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. 

Being an adult can be complicated and hard. I am always in my head evaluating if I’m spending my life well. Am I making the right decisions for myself and for my family? I’m worrying about money, and health, and safety, and all the things. And in the midst of all my worries, simple truths are swallowed up by all the other things that I have vying for my attention.

And then one night, I’m just sitting in a rocking chair with my precious boy singing a kid’s song and I’m reminded of the simple truths. Like, the declaration to let my light shine.

Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m going to let it shine.

This verse gets a little rowdy as we all shout ‘NO!’ (kids are really good at shouting ‘no’…). No, we won’t hide it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older (and as social media has connected us to thousands of people), it’s that suffering and tragedy is all around. Evil is all around. Darkness is all around.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And when He is introduced at the beginning of John, it says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (verse 5).  This light that we carry with us every day, this hope, this truth, it shines in the darkness, and it will not be overcome.

Don’t let the devil blow it out! I’m going to let it shine. 

And then I am reminded to not let anything (including the devil) blow it out. Don’t let the cares of this world, the anxious thoughts, the frustrations, quench the flame. Don’t let the fire die out, but fan it into flame (2 Tim 1:5). That flame that burns in your heart that gives you purpose in all you do, hope in every fear, comfort in sadness, and joy in despair. Fan that into flame, and don’t let it be blown out by your circumstances.

So, I declare loudly and proudly like my sweet 1-year-old son:

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. 

Shine bright, my son.