In the last few weeks, I have shared some metaphors with you—God as the sun, and I am a moon that reflects His light. However, metaphors don’t always tell the full picture. This is what I was thinking about when I wrote the poem below.
God Is My Light Source: Metaphors

You can take a metaphor just so far
before it falls apart.
If I am like the moon which reflects
the light of the sun,
my light source is outside,
not attached to me at all.
But my source of light—
and life, warmth, love, all that I am—
is not only outside of me
but also inside.
I am a receptacle—
a container, a temple—
in which the Holy Spirit fire has chosen to reside.
So, I am the moon that reflects God’s light
which comes to me from this universe
and beyond
because He is the great I AM,
the first and the last,
outside of time and place,
beyond human imagining
or understanding.
And I am also the moon that reflects God’s light
which comes from inside of me, through me,
and spills out onto all around me.
A tiny light because I am tiny.
A tiny light that I must
cherish and care for.
I am slowly learning,
through a process of waxing and waning,
to shine more brightly
as my interior rubble is cleared away
and my connection to the source
matures and strengthens.


as I am a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe I am not watched by a stadium full of people, but I can shine His light in my small section.
(Photo by Scott Platt)