The funny thing about light is that despite being bright itself, it also brightens up anything it touches. Overnight, light can transform a dark forest into a starry wilderness; a cold city into a warm district; a starving plant into a blooming flower.

It’s no wonder that Jesus tells Christians that they are the light of the world and to shine it upon others. Light cuts through darkness like nothing else.

Light doesn’t have to mean photons, but can be something generally beautiful; an exquisite sky, a delightful book, or a dog happily wagging its tail. Without fail, I find that if I put myself in light’s way, I get brightened up myself.

As the farmer Thomas Mitchell put it:

“As If we are to cultivate the art of living, we should cultivate the art of extracting sweetness and comfort out of everything, as the bee goes from flower to flower in search of honey.”