Light Doesn’t Stop

My kid has been asking a lot of questions lately about how to build a real life light saber. Those are his exact words.

Of course, we encourage him to ask questions and to look for answers – but we all know there is no such thing as a real life light saber. (This is when the TSA agents at the airport who loved me for wearing a Star Wars tank top at the airport this week look at me in utter disgust and start threatening to keep me detained until I revoke that last statement).

Anyway, when my kid gets on one of these kicks, we help him do some research and most of the time we all learn something in the process.

In our collaborative research, we have stumbled upon many youtube videos of Star Wars enthusiasts talking about building light sabers. One of the most promising videos came from a theoretical physicist named Michio Kaku who hypothesized what it would take to create the different parts of a light saber. His one stumbling block seems to be finding a source to power the plasma torch he needs to create light that stops. You see, using a laser beam – what most people think when contemplating designing a light saber – isn’t possible because the light of the laser will not end.

My husband and son continued their search for answers and asked the smartest person we know, Dr. Ryan. He’s our pastor, but he’s also a rocket scientist – or something like that. He has an undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering and his Doctorate in Science and Engineering of Materials. And, no he doesn’t only believe in science, but he did seem to echo Michio Kaku’s laser theory saying quite frankly, “you can’t get the light to stop.” And depending on the power source, theoretically, light could go on forever.

So Cool.

Light doesn’t stop.

If the source of power for the light is strong enough, it could go on forever.

I got to thinking as I often do and drew a parallel to our emotional and spiritual lives. When we have joy, or light, in our life we can’t get it to stop.

Depending on the power source (us) it could, theoretically, go on forever.

So, not only do we have light in our life, we seek out light in others too. Why? Because our light is infinite and it is constantly seeking out places to illuminate. Darkness cannot exist where there is light and if you have joy (or light) you want others to shine too. There is no threat to your light by illuminating someone or something else.

We seek to make others shine because we shine.

Light is not threatened by more light.

Someone on twitter said this today “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle” – um, bingo.

Don’t be threatened by others who are talented.

Don’t seek to snuff out their light.

Don’t freak out because someone you know is so super awesome at something you struggle with.

We don’t have to exclude people because they are talented or bright or joyful. We should bring them along because, the more light, the better.

When you have enough light of your own, you won’t worry about the light others are shining.

You will want to include them in your brightness.