“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”

— Baha’u'llah

I am only one.  I am created in the image of God and carry the Light of God within me; but still, I am only one.  You are only one.  You are created in the image of God and carry the Light of God within you; but still, you are only one.  When I feel the Light burning within me, it feels powerful and large and bright; but still, I can only shine from my own small space.

We are created in the image of God; and I have to believe that this is true so that we can recognize one another as family.  We are all connected.  We are all a part of All-That-Is.  Each of us brings an integral piece to the total picture of humankind.  When we band together in Unity and recognize that we are all a part of something much greater than the sum of its pieces, we truly can hope to light the world.

Imagine a forest.  The sun is sinking below the horizon, and afternoon is being taken over by night.  A child has wandered off the trail into the woods, and his family has been searching for him in the fading light.  Suddenly darkness descends.  Each member of the search party has brought a flashlight; and one by one the lights go on to aid them in their hunt.  They point their lights here and there, hoping to see the lost child illuminated in the brush that grows at the feet of the trees all around.  It is arduous work to search by flashlight on a dark night; and as time passes, their hopes begin to fade into the cold, black night.  Then something remarkable happens.  One searcher moves to comfort another; and as they stand side by side, arms around each other, their lights join together and shine as one.  The swath they cut is now twice as wide, and the area they illuminate is doubled.  One by one the other searchers join the line.  They link arms and blend their lights until twenty times the width of one appears out of the darkness.  They walk as one, able to see much better where they are going.  Their hope burns brighter with each light that is added to their group.

Suddenly there is a rustling sound in the forest, just beyond their sight.  As they move toward the noise, the child appears.

“Where have you been?” his mother asks.

“I’ve been looking for you,” the child answers, “but darkness fell and I was all alone.  I couldn’t find you anywhere.  I would spot a light for just a  moment, and then it would disappear; but suddenly it grew so big and so bright that all I had to do was walk toward it.  And there you were.”

I am only one.  I am created in the image of God and carry the Light of God within me; but still, I am only one.  You are only one.  You are created in the image of God and carry the Light of God within you; but still, you are only one.

When we honor our roles as pieces of Light and part of All-That-Is, when we stand side by side with hope and encouragement, when we combine our Lights and shine as one, surely we can light the world.