The concept for A Shining Light comes from the Bible in the book of Matthew.
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, I believe there are many hurting people in our world, and I would like to do what I can to help.
Just north or where I live is a cave called Mammoth Cave. While touring that cave when I was young, the tour guide brought us to a large opening within the cave and then told us to stand very still for just a few minutes. They turned off the lights in the cave and I experienced true darkness. It was so dark that I could hold up my hand, just two inches from my face, but I was unable to see it. It had a profound effect on me, to say the least. All I could think about was, what if I were blind and had to live this way all my life? The tour guide then turned on a small flashlight and you could see all around very clearly. You could see all the people on the tour, the surrounding walls of the cave. It was quite remarkable to see all that, with only a single light.
One light can make a big difference when it is dark all around you.
The darkness of the cave is a physical example of a very real darkness, but over the course of my life, I have also experienced darkness in many different ways.
Many times our life can feel as dark as that cave. Circumstances come and you just do not feel that you have the knowledge or resources to overcome those circumstances and life can become very dark. Sometimes all you need is a word of encouragement from someone or a different way of thinking about your problem or situation. That word or small amount of help can shed light on everything around you enabling you to carry on with your life.
I surely don’t have all the answers, but it is my goal to provide some amount of light for the people I come in contact with throughout my life.